My Duty, My Heart
by Midnight Dahlias
Summary: Hinata is faced with sacrificing everything for her clan, but out of nowhere, Naruto begins to show interest in her. Will she do her duty, or follow her heart? Rated M for later lemons, language, and a spot of blood.
1. The Candle

**You want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. And yeah, I don't own Naruto or any characters therein. I also want to let you guys know that I stopped reading and watching Naruto years ago, so this is mostly based after older versions of the original series, which I loved.**

**I thought of this one after listening to Sara Bareilles' "King of Anything."**

Hinata hunched gently against the wind of the coming autumn. It was chill and sharp, a stinging touch. She cringed, but it had nothing to do with the cold. The talk that morning with her father had left her feelings raw. The wind was insult to injury.

She pulled the bag up higher on her shoulder with a sigh. Was she ever not an embarrassment to her family? Her own little sister could kick her butt with two hands behind her back.

And now this.

If she didn't say yes….. She would be even more of an blight on her family's name.

Hinata tried desperately to not think. If only she could unscrew her brain for a while, and just zone out. Shut out her feelings somehow.

"BANZAI!" Naruto crashed suddenly into Hinata, causing the groceries she had just bought to fly onto the ground in varied directions. Hinata herself landed squarely on her butt, scraping her hands in the process. "Mou, Hinata, are you alright?" Bright blue eyes peered at her, worried.

She blushed furiously. Oh dear. She couldn't meet his eye. "Eh, hai, dijobu, I'm fine." She skittered to her feet, collecting her fallen supplies. The packaged goods were alright, if a bit dusty, but the produce was toast, so to speak. Irreparably crushed.

"Gomen nasai, Hinata, I was just…." For the first time, Hinata noticed a slight pink flush to Naruto's cheeks. "Never mind." He was attempting to help her gather her things. They reached for the same can and their eyes met for a brief second.

Naruto had always made Hinata feel uncomfortable and awkward under his gaze, but for that split second, something was different. His eyes held the same shyness, the same feelings reflected back at her.

Hinata leapt back, her face turning a cherry red, and the moment was over. Naruto picked up the can and handed it to her, the other gloved hand scratching the back of his head. "Sorry."

"Oh, it's, it's okay, I'll j-just…..well, bye." Hinata whipped around, anxious to stop making such a fool of herself. She would replace the squashed vegetables later, when she didn't feel like she was about to faint.

"HINATA!" Naruto called after her, running to catch up. She kept her head down, silent. "Can I make it up to you?" Hinata snuck a quick look at Naruto. He still looked embarrassed, and genuinely sorry. "I destroyed your food…if we go down to the farmer's market, I can replace them for you?" The statement sounded more like a question, as if he wasn't really sure what he should do in this instance.

"Um, sure, I mean, I guess, if, you know, you want to." She was stuttering out the reply. Naruto immediately perked up.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Naruto marched off in the direction of the market, in classic Naruto goose stepping style. The market was only two blocks from them, but to Hinata, they were an eternity. She liked him, for sure, but she was on edge. Was she supposed to be goose stepping with him? Or was it correct to be creeping behind like she was now? Oh dear, she must look like a cave dwelling creature! Each deliberation made her withdraw more and more. By the time they got there, she looked like a turtle desperately trying to withdraw into a shell much too small.

"Neh, Hinata, what do you need?" Naruto turned around, a grin as wide and as open as the sky beaming straight at her. Hinata flushed with awkwardness as an answer refused to come to her lips. "I saw tomatoes. Let's get you some tomatoes. Where's the tomato man?" People were turning to look at him. Hinata let out a small "eep!" of fear. She hated scrutiny. It never seemed to affect Naruto though.

"Here!" Naruto waved wildly at Hinata, motioning her to come closer. She shuffled closer as fast as she could, avoiding eye contact with anyone. "These look good. Don't they, Hinata-chan?" Hinata sucked in her breath and stared at Naruto. That was the first time he had used "chan" after her name! Naruto peeled off a glove to pick up a juicy looking specimen. "Ah! It's heavy! And it smells good too! This is the one for you! Feel!" Naruto placed the tomato in her hand, cupping his hands around hers to help her hold the round fruit. "Don't you think so?"

Hinata's terrified eyes locked with Naruto's grinning ones. "I-I-I-" He suddenly looked worried.

"Hinata-chan?"

She promptly fainted.

**Naruto's POV**

Her eyes rolled back in her head and down she went. I managed to catch her, but I was in a panic. The tomato man was looking at me like I did it on purpose. 'SHOVE OFF, STUPID TOMATO MAN!" I heaved her up into my arms, but her head was rolling around. It didn't look comfortable, but I wasn't sure how I was supposed to hold her.

I quickly scooped up her bag and hauled ass to Sakura's. If anyone knew how to get me out of trouble it would be her.

"SAKURA!" I kicked down the door of her apartment. No one in the living room. "SAKURA! I MESSED UP! BIG TIME! I AM SO DEAD!" I wandered through the apartment, a limp, pale girl swinging from my arms. No one was here? Screwed!

Sakura came out of the bathroom, dripping wet, dressed in pj's, looking about ready to take my head off. "BAKA! I'll kill you for destroying my door for the FIFTH TIME THIS MONTH! What is it? Ramen sale?" I thrust Hinata in her direction, her limbs flapping every which way.

"Her father's going to KILL ME!"

Sakura frowned. "What happened? And don't forget, Neji will kill you too."

"I AM SO SCREWED!" I wailed.

"WHAT HAPPENED, YOU BAKA!"

"I don't know, I was running down the street-"

"You're a little old for that at 21."

"And I ran into her, crushed some stuff and she blushed and kinda didn't look at me, and I took her to the market, and I was trying to help and be nice and she fainted!"

"That barely made sense."

"I'M DEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAD!" In my anguish, Hinata slipped from my arms and onto the floor with a crash.

"YOU FREAKING DOBE! PICK HER UP RIGHT NOW!" I hauled her up under her arms, like a child holding a doll. "NOT LIKE THAT!" I heaved her over my shoulder. "BAKA! Put her on the couch!" I flopped her over onto the couch. Sakura gave me the death glare, but didn't shout anymore. As Sakura checked Hinata's forehead and eyes, I crawled on the floor to cling to her damp pajama leg.

"Pleeeeeeeease, Sakura, tell me she's okay!" She glared down at me.

"Well, your drop didn't seem to hurt her, but she's out. I'm going to get a cold cloth and some smelling salts. YOU," she prodded a finger on my nose. "Stay here and look after her. Let me know if she looks like she's waking up. STAY!" I sat on my butt on the floor, staring up at her like a wounded puppy. She snorted and walked off.

I stared intensely at Hinata, looking for any sign she was stirring. Resting my chin on the cushion, I let my eyes wander over her still face. Such pale skin. I could see little blue veins by her temples and eyes. Wow, she had really long lashes. They fluttered for a second, and I held my breath, but she didn't wake. Her cheeks weren't as round as they were when she was twelve. I locked onto her lips. Pink, curved, parted slightly in the middle. Her lips looked like she naturally was puckering up. How did I not notice these lips? I checked over the sofa to see if Sakura was coming back, but all I sensed was water running in the bathroom.

I put my head back on the cushion, tilted slightly to one side for a better angle. Trying to move as slowly and carefully as I could, I reached up my index finger and touched her bottom lip, just below the part. It yielded softly to pressure. As I pulled my hand away, I noticed her bottom lip started to flush where I had touched her. Well this was confusing. I know I didn't hurt her. But how come her lips were swelling, becoming slightly redder and fuller, giving her a more pronounced pout? It was kind of…well…

"Back up." Sakura nudged me away with her foot. I shuffled back, feeling confused. Hinata was stirring something in my gut. Or maybe I was hungry? Mmmm, ramen…..

"Huh?" A soft noise from Hinata jolted me back to reality. Her eyelids fluttered over her lavender eyes, which looked unfocused. Her lips moved. Once again, I locked on to them and couldn't stop staring. The way they moved, molding around unknown words, left me speechless. There was something incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing about them. "Sakura-san?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy…..what happened?"

"You fainted at the market." Hinata's eyes suddenly snapped open and focused. She looked at me and gasped, pulling up her legs and sitting up. Her brow immediately furrowed in pain. "You shouldn't sit up so fast, Hinata-chan. You need to rest. Just stay here for a while, and I'll have Naruto walk you home." Sakura placed the cold cloth on the back of Hinata's neck. She was still staring at me with wide eyes.

"You alright, Hinata-chan?" She was blushing so hard I thought she was going to faint again. She nodded rapidly. "Sorry. Again." I scratched the back of my head, looking away so she couldn't see my face. Warmth was rushing to my face in embarrassment.

"Sakura-chan, what happened to the door?" Sasuke walked in, his first born daughter perched on his shoulders. Sakura sighed, going over to kiss Sasuke.

"Naruto made Hinata faint."

"Dobe, stop destroying my door." He lifted Tenmaki from his shoulders, placing her on the floor. She immediately ran to me for a hug and a kiss.

"Naru!" She gave me a big kiss on the cheek. I couldn't help myself, she was too cute.

"Ten-chan!" I rubbed her soft charcoal hair.

"Daddy took me to the place where you and Mommy and Daddy used to train!"

"Did he? Did he tell you about how our sensei kicked his butt?"

"Hey!" Sakura hit me over the head. "Watch the language!"

"Iitei!" I rubbed the lump forming on my scalp while Tenmaki laughed. "Mou, Sakura, you're meaner than usual." She sighed again, looking at Sasuke. He shrugged.

"He's going to find out anyway."

"Find out what?"

"Mommy is having another baby!" Tenmaki jumped up and down with joy. For a four year old, she was sharp.

"Eeeeh? Really?" I jumped up. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Yes, you dobe."

"Congratulations, Sakura, Sasuke," Hinata smiled at the pair. Sakura smiled back, a hand over her stomach. "When is it due?"

"March."

"Whaaaa? You've been pregnant for four months already?" I stared intently at Sakura's stomach. "I don't see anything! Last time you were a hippo at four months!" Sakura's eyebrow twitched violently. Sasuke sighed, putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"He's not worth it." She backed down, but I could see her homicidal desire.

"Ano, Hinata-san," I looked back at her, desperate to leave before I ended up with new bruises. Sakura was even more violent when she was a bag of hormones. "You ready to go home?"

**Meanwhile…**

"You sure?"

"Yes. If this won't work, nothing will, and I'm running out of time to save either of them. Set up the room and wake him up."

**I'm ebil, aren't I? Review, sil te plait!**


	2. Lit Up

**I don't own Naruto. Like I can draw like that.**

**After much wait, the new installment! Hey, this has the most words of any of my chapters so far! That might have to do with my guilt at not writing on this chappie. Trust me, after my SakuIta story is complete, this will be updated much more often. Enjoy!**

"I call you to a meeting this important, and you just blow it off?"

Naruto shuffled nervously. "Sorry, Kakashi." The silver haired Hokage shook his head.

"Why am I even doing this…what distracted you, a sale on ramen?"

Naruto huffed like a small child. "No! Why does everyone think that?"

"Because the last time Ichiraku had bowls half off, you busted down my door and the gate, and left a trail of destruction behind you as you ran." Kakashi shook his head again, face palming. Naruto resumed looking anxious.

"Does that mean you changed your mind?" Kakashi gazed up wearily.

"No. I can't do this much longer. It's not my nature." He pointed to a stack of papers and scrolls. "Take these and study them carefully. You've got a lot to learn."

Naruto grinned widely. "Yosh!" He snatched the armful and rocketed away out the window.

"Hopefully all that work will wear him out," Kakashi sighed. "Minato, why did you have to die? You forced the rest of us to deal with your terrifying bundle of joy." The Yondaime's face stared seriously out into the room. Kakashi gave the portrait the finger. "As soon as Naruto is finished, I'm done covering for you."

O*O*O*O*O*

"Hinata." Hinata swallowed hard.

"Hai, Oto-san?" Her father's eyes bored into her.

"Where were you?"

"I-I went out to get the shopping done." She indicated the bag slung over her shoulder. Her father raised an eyebrow.

"It's covered in dirt."

"I-um, well, I-I dropped it." She flinched as he frowned.

"Hopefully you will grow out of that soon. I'm not sure Mikado would like that tendency of yours." Hinata looked down, shaking.

"Yes, Father." After a moment more of scrutiny, he held out an envelope.

"It appears to be a formal invitation. Be sure it does not coincide with any of your duties before you accept." Hinata nodded briefly before taking the envelope and scooting to her apartment, which she had lived in since acquiring Jounin rank. She dropped her bag on the table, ripping the mulberry paper. As she read, her eyebrows crept higher and higher in surprise.

_You are cordially invited to_

_Attend the wedding of_

_Yamanaka Ino_

_Nara Shikamaru_

_October 20th_

_You may bring one guest_

_Please RSVP  
><em>

_It's pretty daring for them to announce a wedding two weeks before it happens. _A thought occurred to her, and she gasped. _Naruto's birthday is only 6 days away! Oh no, what am I going to do? !_

O*O*O*O*O*O*

"Urg," Naruto moaned as he lifted his head from the desk, a paper stuck to his forehead. He grabbed it wearily. It was a chart of rookie Genin demographics. He groaned again, surmising by the sun that he had fallen asleep while going over the tedious records Kakashi had assigned him. He dropped the paper to rub his face. There was a lot more paperwork than he originally thought.

Slowly, he got up and trudged to the bathroom, then like a zombie to the fridge. He took out the milk and sniffed it before downing the last. Ever since that fateful day when he was just inches from kissing his then-crush Sakura, Naruto checked his milk before drinking it. He threw the carton carelessly in the trash, resting his head against the freezer door. A bleary eye opened and found the clock.

"FUUUUUUU-!" Naruto ripped around the room, collecting clothes, stuffing papers, folders and scrolls into his bag with wild abandon. He was out the door in seconds, tearing down the stairs. "Excuse me! Sumi masen!" he shouted as he dodged people. Suddenly, one of his orange lapels was grabbed and pulled, causing him to swerve and almost crash into his attacker. "Mou, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shoved Sasuke's hand off of him, irritated. Sasuke made an equally annoyed sound between his teeth. "I'm late as it is!" Naruto made another bid to escape, but Sasuke had seized his backpack straps.

"Dobe, we need to talk."

"Later!" Naruto writhed around to loosen Sasuke's grip, but the man held fast.

"Now. Sakura has been hounding me all night to talk to you, but after you walked Hinata home, you saw Kakashi and sealed your apartment so I couldn't get in."

Naruto glared. "Any ideas on why I do that?"

Sasuke ignored him, remaining stoic and closed eyed. "If I come home without having this stupid conversation, she said she wouldn't go down on me for a month." Sasuke let his arm be shrugged off, satisfied he had gotten the blond's attention.

"Perv. What does Sakura want?"

"We're throwing you a party for your birthday. On one condition." He paused, looking at his friend's confused face. "You take Hinata out to dinner tonight."

"WH-WHAT? !" Naruto's backpack slipped as he jumped, causing a cloud of papers to fly into the air. Sasuke watched them flutter to the ground as Naruto sputtered, two pink spots appearing on his cheeks. He didn't even notice when Sasuke picked up a few sheets, frowning.

"Why do you need this, dobe? It's all statistics and budget figures." His frown deepened as he read each page. Naruto finally caught on to what Sasuke was doing. He went white as black eyes met blue. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Naruto snatched the papers from him, hurriedly collecting the rest. "When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," Naruto mumbled.

"Guess hell froze over."

"TEME!" Naruto stuffed the papers back in his bag.

"You didn't say you would do it." The flush came back to Naruto's face. He looked away. "If you don't, I'm going to post the elephant dance all over town."

Naruto looked up, turning amazingly red, eyes wide. "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow, smirking. "I was the one who took the pictures." Naruto choked on his own spit as he thought of the incriminating photographs. After his brush with death five years ago, all of his hair fell out and Sakura had medicated him with vast quantities of narcotics. In his drug-induced delirium, he had wandered the hospital showing how his pubic hair was gone. He then proclaimed he was going to perform the "Elephant Dance," and proceeded to waggle his tackle about. Shamelessly, Sasuke had taken pictures before they dosed him with a sedative, and hid the proofs "for leverage."

Naruto grit his teeth. "Why do you care so much?"

"There are blowjobs at stake," Sasuke said flatly.

"Fine, teme! I have to go!"

As Naruto accelerated off, he heard Sasuke shout, "Elephant dance, dobe!" A cloud of dust kicked up behind Naruto as he sprinted for the Hokage's building.

"You're late," the guard stated blankly as Naruto tore past him.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious! You saved the village!" He came to a skidding halt in front of Kakashi's closed door. He was about to knock, when he heard a very soft conversation behind the door.

"Really? I thought that was a she."

"Hakate-sama! You knew him!"

Sigh. "And I was picked because…?"

"You're the only one with close enough match."

"There's two others you know, that share that code."

"She's too young, and we think he may have the defect. You're our last hope, Kakashi. Save him, and we may save many others."

"….How long does it take?"

"Few hours and you can be back to work."

"Fine. Naruto seems to outside the door listening though." The door slammed open, revealing Shizune's pinched face, a forced smile screwed on.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." Naruto waved weakly, embarrassed to have been caught. Kakashi stood, pulling a black coat on.

"Meet me at the usual bar at one," he said simply, sweeping past the confused blond. Shizune followed. "While I'm gone, sort the new reports from last night, apply new figures, and try not to kill yourself with boredom." Kakashi smiled with his one visible eye as he left. Naruto stuck his tongue out, then turned to look at the Hokage's desk once more. Reports were stacked up in manila folders two feet tall.

Naruto steamed as he opened them and started to file. _You're lucky I want this so bad!_

O*O*O*O*O*

"HINATA-CHAN!" Kiba flung open the door. "HINATA!" Hinata came out of her study, looking anxious.

"Kiba-kun, please! There are other people around!"

"Oh, there you are. Here." Kiba thrust a folder at her, waving it up and down until she took it. "Reports from the last mission. Shizune says she wants exact documentation on that technique." Hinata read each page carefully. Kiba let out a frustrated sigh.

"This needs the Hokage's stamp before I can disclose anything." Hinata pointed out a box on the last page. "Kakashi-sama needs to verify how it works." Kiba growled darkly.

"Fucking bean counters." Hinata let out her own frustrated sigh at Kiba's vulgar language, but hers was delicate and short. "Your cousin is on my ass today. He said to get this in today, and then threatened me with bodily harm for no reason! That guy seriously has to get laid."

"Well, did you tell him that?"

"Yeah, so?"

Hinata stared pointedly at the wolf-man. "That might be the reason." Kiba was the only one Hinata would speak to like this. They were best friends. At first, Kiba's exuberance intimidated her, but his brutal honesty was appealing to her. She lived in a world of niceties, censorship, and protocol. Kiba's complete lack of people skills let him say whatever he wanted, and Hinata sometimes took the opportunity to do the same to him. He never held it against her though. Though convincing, his flashy displays of emotion were just part of his "no regrets" policy. Hinata envied him.

"Like I said, no reason." Kiba stuck his lower lip out in a ridiculous pout. Kiba only did this for Hinata. Other people would call him a child and tell him to grow up, but Hinata tolerated his little tantrums and could usually explain things he didn't understand.

Hinata smiled, tucking the papers back in the folder. "We should go and get the stamp. Then I will type up the process and ready it for practical application." Kiba grunted noncommittally as Hinata collected her bag and put her hoodie on. "Come on, it shouldn't take long. It's just a stamp." Hinata led the way out, Kiba still making a rather silly face behind her and slouching. "Where's Akamaru?"

"Out. He was getting restless because I had to fill out all this damn paperwork."

"Alone?"

"Nah, he usually goes out to the Nara Forest and runs around with the deer." Kiba suddenly grabbed something out of Hinata's book bag, skipping backwards when she tried to stop him. "AH HA! So you got one too!" Kiba had the wedding invite, grinning.

"You got one too?" Hinata gazed reproachfully at him.

"Yup. I'm taking Yoko with me," Kiba referenced the thin kunochi he met a few months ago from Suna. She looked severe with slicked back hair and form fitting clothes, but she was a wild card with a sense of humor almost exactly like Kiba's. To be true, Hinata was glad when she beat him up and asked him to date her. He had a one night stand with Ino, and swore he was gay for years, supposedly because Ino was a castrating emasculating demon in bed. Hinata knew he just had to see boobs again to come to his senses. "Who are you bringing?"

"What? I'm not going." Hinata turned and started power walking to the Hokage's office.

"Uh uh, no way. You're going, and you are bringing a date. Take Naruto."

"What! No!"

"You are going to ask him to go with you, or I'm telling everybody about the undercrackers." Kiba grinned suggestively.

"You wouldn't!" Hinata blushed deeply. Kiba was riffling through her stuff one day (who knows, he was in his gay phase, he took this as license to go through Hinata's drawers for "FABULOUS" stuff), and found a set of lacy black underwear with a matching push up bra. Hinata had tried to explain it as going under black dresses, but Hinata never dressed up, and the lingerie had too many frills and embellishments to be smooth under clothes. Besides, there was a red swirl embroidered on the back of the cheeky panties. Kiba had taken a picture of himself holding the underwear to display the symbol.

"Wouldn't I? I was the one who took the picture." Kiba grinned like a fool on grinning tablets. He knew Hinata would sooner kiss Neji on the mouth in public than reveal what dark secrets she had hiding in her sock drawer. "So what's it going to be?"

Hinata sputtered blankly, not sure what to say. Should she tell him? No, she wasn't ready for that to be public. Inside, she debated the pros and cons. Going out with Naruto would be a dream come true, but what if it went farther than just a date? No, she seriously doubted that would happen. She had tried to make her interest obvious to Naruto for years, and nothing had happened. Though it saddened her a bit, she concluded that Naruto would probably agree to going with her as moral support, and they would go as friends. It would get Kiba off her back. Hinata decided if her father asked, she would say that Naruto was her proxy escort. Hopefully, Neji had gotten an invitation too, thus ruling him out as a substitute escort.

"Fine, Kiba. I will ask him."

"Today," he said firmly. "The RSVP is due in two days."

"If I see him," she countered. "If I don't see him today, I will ask him tomorrow."

"Deal." Kiba looped his arm around her elbow, dropping the cardstock back into her tote. The two marched arm in arm the whole walk to the Hokage's office, right up to the door. No one batted an eyelash. They all knew that the two were practically brother and sister. Kiba unhooked his arm from Hinata's, knocking sharply on the door. "OI! Need a quick sign off!"

No answer.

Hinata and Kiba looked at each other blankly. Hinata checked the time. "It's only 11. Do you think Hakate-sama is out to lunch?"

"You make him sound like an old man so stuffed with his own wisdom he can't lift himself from his desk," Kiba quipped, knocking again, this time with the end of his fist, hard. The door flew open, revealing a cluttered room covered in paper and an orange blur. Hinata froze.

"What? !" Naruto shouted, frantically reading long scrolls and double checking them with flimsy sheets of printed paper.

Hinata couldn't speak. She stood there, lips parted, unable to even catch her breath. It was hard enough dealing with Naruto's presence when she was expecting it, but her guard was down. Now she felt as though an electric current was passing though her, seizing her muscles, keeping her from thinking. Even when he was harried and frazzled, he was incredibly, heart-stoppingly handsome. Kiba rolled his eyes when he saw his best friend in a hormonal stupor.

"Yeah, where's Kakashi? We need a Hokage stamp." Naruto came over, not even registering that Hinata was there, just taking the folder and looking at the print.

"You're looking for a disclosure notice?" Hinata was taken back a bit. Not only was he so focused on his work he didn't notice who was speaking to him, he knew by reading only few lines what all of the convoluted legal text meant. "I think I can sign for this. Kakashi is doing something weird and random that I don't understand over somewhere, and he told me to-" While he rambled, Naruto took the paper sheaf to the desk, where he stamped and signed it. As he handed it back, Hinata saw that his signature was "In lieu of Hakate Kakashi." Since when did he know legalese?

"Thanks, Naruto. Um, Hinata, didn't you have something to say to Naruto?" Kiba made a very obvious look at Hinata, who began to blush. "Something, I don't know, significant? Could it have something do to with underwear?" Hinata flushed a very bright red, mind going blank as Naruto's eyes connected with hers and sparked with recognition.

"Oh, Hinata-chan! I didn't see you there. You feeling better?" Though his tone was casual, Hinata noticed that his cheeks developed twin pink dots as he looked at her. "Um, actually, I had something to ask you….."

"Oh, me too. I…I…" Hinata stuttered, trying to pluck up the courage. Then, at the same time:

"Do you want to go out with me?"

They both shook their heads and blushed deeper. "I'm sorry I-" Naruto began to apologize.

"No, I was-" Hinata attempted to excuse herself. They blathered like this for several seconds. "I just got-"

"I didn't mean-"

"But you were saying?"

"Oh, nothing, you should go-"

"No really, it wasn't that-"

"You go-"

"Oh for God's sake, SHUT UP you two!" Kiba interrupted. The two very red-faced individuals stared anxiously at Kiba to save them. "You both asked the other out! Hinata's got an invite to Ino and Shikamaru's wedding and she needed a date. Yes or no?" Kiba demanded. Naruto blinked blankly.

"Ino and Shikamaru-"

"Yeah. You coming?"

"Ah-I….." Naruto paused, a pensive look on his face. Hinata braced herself for the worst. "What day?"

"20th." Hinata summoned enough pluck to say something relevant. Kiba beamed at her approvingly.

"….I think I could do that, but…" Hinata's hopes soared for a split second before she was back to waiting for the axe. "Would you….wouldyougoutwithmetonight?" The word spilled from Naruto's lips like the breaking of a dam. It was almost unintelligible. Kiba blinked as if he had been spoken to by the most random idiot the world had ever known. Luckily, Hinata had many years experience with her own gibberish.

"Uh, I….yes?" The answer ended in a question mark, but it seemed enough for Naruto. He lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Great! Yeah, um, I'll-I'll pick you up at seven, alright? You like Kobe?" Hinata nodded mechanically, still absorbing the shock. "Good, so I do I, uh… you still live in that apartment by your father's?" Another nod. "Yeah, great, awesome, good, great-I already said that. I'm sorry, I mean, I-"

"Seven," Kiba said definitively, grabbing the door knob. "Seven, pick her up. Get a suit for the wedding. Thanks." He shut the door on Naruto, who was still on streaming audio. "Well, that went well! Hinata? Hinata? Oh fuck. You've got to stop fainting!"

**Sorry it took so long. Working on other stories, plus dealing with a douche bag at work. Please review!**


	3. Fire Starter

**I don't own Naruto, dobe.**

**AAAAIIIIII! I'm getting all kinds of worked up over this. Onwards!**

"Kiba, I can't believe this," Hinata whispered, a hand covering her red face. "Going to a formal wedding is one thing, but going to dinner with Naruto is completely obvious!"

"What are you worried about? No body except us three knows what's going on. And who are you so nervy about?" Kiba groused.

"My father! He-" Hinata swallowed the completion of the sentence. She wasn't going to tell anyone, not until she absolutely had to. All anyone was going to do would be to yell at her angrily to have a backbone.

Kiba made an annoyed huff. "Screw Hiashi!"

"Kiba!" The pair crossed the gate into the Hyuuga complex. Hinata desperately tried to shush her friend. "If my father catches you saying things like that, he will ban me from seeing you! Don't you remember? He didn't even talk to you until you became a Jounin."

"Yeah, and he's said fuck all after that."

"Hush!" Hinata shuffled faster to the other gate. She was going to tell her father that she had accepted the invitation to Ino and Shikamaru's wedding, but with Kiba going off like this, she needed him out of earshot.

"Oh, Hinata-san, there you are." Kanaka caught Hinata's eye and waved, trotting over. Hinata smiled at the house mistress, trying to hide the fact that she was trying to escape the gated mansion. "Hiashi-sama asked me to inform you that he will be away for the night, meeting with Mikado-sama." Kanaka's eyes flicked to Kiba meaningfully, silently asking if he knew. Hinata looked away, and Kanaka nodded. "Good morning, Kiba-kun. I trust you are well. Are you hungry?" Hinata suppressed a laugh. Kanaka knew exactly what would distract Kiba.

"Hell yeah! What do you got?" Kanaka motioned for him to follow, listing off leftovers from the night before and the lunch she was preparing for Hanabi and the staff. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, quickly scuttling off to her apartment. She had a lot of writing to do, with a side of angsting about the date tonight.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Minimum bid, twelve thousand yen! When will Hinata faint?" Anko was sitting on the bar, waving bills around. "At dinner? On the walk home? Or will it end the minute Naruto knocks on the door?"

"Twenty five thousand on dessert!" A brown haired shinobi handed over the money, accepting a slip from Anko.

"Who else? Come on, we have over five million yen here! Think of the jackpot!"

Kakashi stuck up a hand with a wad of bills. "Fifty thousand on the doorstep after dinner." Anko laughed and gave him the slip.

"Betting against your own student, eh?"

Kakashi shrugged, to which Anko laughed again.

"Come on, don't be shy!"

"Neh, Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?" The entire bar looked over to the door, where Naruto had stepped in.

"Betting on when your date is going to fail."

"WHAT? ! How do you know about that? ! AND WHO SAYS IT'S GOING TO FAIL? !"

Anko snickered. "You live in a village full of ninja, and you're wondering how we know?"

"Twenty thousand on the walk home!" A pink haired kunochi ran up to the bar.

"Mou, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined. The whole bar was laughing. Naruto blushed furiously. Sakura punched him on the arm, hard.

"I'm betting for you, baka!" She smiled smugly as Naruto rubbed his arm. "You're going to be so hot, the minute you try to touch her, she won't be able to take it."

"Thanks, I guess."

"My place, six," she commanded sternly. "And expect homicide if you are late." Naruto winced. Kakashi chuckled.

"Where were you, Kakashi? You left all that work for me." Naruto attempted to steer the conversation away from his date with Hinata. Kakashi smiled enigmatically.

"I was playing with the dolphins."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You ready to get back to work?" Kakashi stood slowly, following Naruto's goosestep out the door. Only Anko noticed the slight limp that wasn't there before.

O*O*O*O*O*

A knock at the door roused Hinata from her thoughts. She shook her head, trying to loosen ideas from her mind, both good and bad, about the date tonight. She trudged to the genkan, smacking her forehead. The second she undid the bolt, the door was busted almost off its hinges.

"SURPRISE!" Ino popped in, throwing her arms out wide. Kiba strutted in right after her. They were both grinning widely in a way that gave Hinata an ominous feeling. "What are you doing, girl? ! It's already six!" Hinata blinked blankly.

"What? What are you doing here?"

Ino frowned, sighing heavily. "Why aren't you primping? Hair? Make up? What are you wearing?"

"I-I-" Hinata realized she was right. Ino caught on to this right away.

"I thought so. KIBA! Where's Hinata's make up? !" Kiba saluted, secretly giving Ino the finger as he disappeared into the bathroom. Ino shoved a bundle of clothes into Hinata's arms. "Clothes, on. Then hair and make up." Hinata separated the clothes out on the table, putting together the outfit. "On!" Ino unzipped the hoodie she always wore and pulled it off.

"Wha- but, Ino-chan, Kiba-kun is right there!" Hinata squirmed, but Ino was dangerously strong, ripping the clothes off of her as if she was a recalcitrant toddler. Before Kiba came back with a small make up bag, Ino had pulled the top over her head and was adjusting the collar. "Ino-chan, this is too big, the shoulders won't stay up."

"They aren't supposed to," Ino said complacently, buckling a belt around the cream sweater dress she had wormed Hinata into. Hinata blushed.

"My camisole is showing!"

"Sorry, I didn't have a strapless bra you could borrow." Ino eyed her work approvingly. Under the mid-thigh sweater dress, Ino had put Hinata in black leggings, with a purple belt to emphasize Hinata's waist. The straps of her black cami were showing, but it looked like part of the style. Kiba grinned.

"Sexeh mama!" Hinata blushed harder, too embarrassed to speak.

"Let's get that hair done, you sexy bitch." Ino dragged a stunned Hinata into a chair, whipping out hair supplies. "You are never going to forget this night."

O*O*O*O*O*

"It's too tight."

"Shut up, dobe."

"I feel like a penguin." Naruto pulled at the tie Sasuke had knotted around his neck.

"I said shut up." Sasuke eyed him critically. Naruto shuffled his feet, uncomfortable in the new clothes. As soon as work was over, Naruto had hauled ass to the Uchiha house, where Sasuke was waiting with a black suit and an orange tie. Sasuke made an annoyed "tch" between his teeth, flicking a piece of blond hair. "When was the last time you had a haircut, dobe?" Naruto pouted, dodging back. "Thought so. Loosen the tie."

"Thank God," Naruto muttered, pulling the knot down and undoing the first button. Sasuke went into the master bath, coming back with a towel, a comb, a spray bottle, and a pair of gleaming shears. "You cut hair? That's so gay- WHAT THE-?" Naruto jumped as Sasuke threw the towel around his neck. "It's damp!"

"Catches the hair better. Sit," Sasuke commanded, pulling up the dressing table seat with his foot. Naruto huffed, but flopped dejectedly on the stool. He winced as Sasuke grabbed the top of his head, forcing him to look at the floor. "Hold still, dobe. Us gay men can get a little free with our scissors. Unless Hinata likes the Van Gogh look."

"…..Who's Van Goat?" Sasuke snorted a little, spraying down Naruto's blond locks.

"You really are a dobe."

"Teme," Naruto growled. Sasuke started at the nape of Naruto's neck, lifting sections of hair and clipping. "Teme, how do you know how to cut hair?"

There was a pause before Sasuke said shortly, "I've been cutting my own hair for a long time." Naruto grunted. Sasuke moved up, ruffling the cut strands from Naruto's hair. He cut carefully in predetermined strokes, razoring spikes into the blond hair. Sasuke came around to work on the front. "Naruto, listen to me." Naruto, who had previously been fuming from being called an idiot again, snapped to attention. Sasuke didn't often use his first name, saying it only when he had something damned important to talk about. "I was the one who came up with making you ask Hinata out tonight." Naruto frowned, confused. Sasuke didn't make eye contact, watching his work. "Hinata is the heir to a very wealthy and powerful clan. Normally, she would marry around this age and become the new head. But her father despairs of her shinobi skills."

"But-"

"Naruto, listen." Naruto shut his mouth forcibly, choking back angry words in Hinata's defense. "At this point, she is just a bargaining chip. Hiashi wants to use her to make an alliance and then appoint Hanabi as his heir apparent. Hinata will be forced to marry and become a breeder."

Naruto couldn't hold it back. Furious, he shouted, "You mean some guy is going to make her-? !"

"Yes." Sasuke crouched, cutting the fringe around Naruto's red face. "He already has a few suitors lined up." Sasuke watched the whisker marks on Naruto's face begin to rise, his blue eyes turning gray, the color warming.

Sasuke finally looked Naruto straight in his changing eyes. "He's away for the night to meet one of these suitors, and that's why you had to date her tonight." Naruto blinked, his rage visibly melting away. "If you want her, you have to make that clear tonight, before she enters a contract. Hinata was taught to do her duty to her clan, with no mind of what she wants. You need to convince her that there's more to life than your last name." Sasuke took the towel off Naruto, brushing his shocked face with it. He pointed to the mirror, standing up. Naruto looked at himself and automatically tightened his tie. Now that he wasn't so scruffy, he looked better with the tie on properly. "Remember, open doors, pay the bill, offer your coat to her, walk her home, say 'thank you', and try not to be a complete dobe."

Naruto snarled. "I don't get how you got Sakura; you're a total teme."

Sasuke clapped him on the shoulder with a small amount of difficulty, as Naruto was four inches taller than him. "Women love gay guys." Once more, Sasuke surveyed Naruto in the mirror. Naruto shrugged the blazer on, fussing with the lapels.

"Seriously though, Sasuke, why do you care?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow. Naruto watched his face in the mirror as the raven put his hands in his pockets, his expression pensive. "You tipped me off about Hinata's dad, got me a suit and made me ask her out. This is more than blowjobs."

"Naruto, I probably know you better than anyone else, and vice versa. We're practically brothers. And brothers look out for each other." Naruto smiled, showing his agreement. Sasuke's otherwise flat lips twitched upwards.

A knock at the door halted the moment. "Naruto-kun, it's six forty five. I will NOT have you late!" Naruto cringed at Sakura's harsh tone.

"How do you survive this?" he whispered in a panicked voice.

"She gets angry, she cries, then she's ravenously horny," Sasuke said point blank. "Dodge thrown objects, hold her, then get your brains fucked out. It's worth it." He shrugged.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Sakura hissed, slamming the door open. "Until Naruto leaves." Naruto squeezed past the steaming Sakura, giving his best friend a scared look. Sasuke winked, motioning for him to leave. As Naruto escaped, he heard shouting and glass breaking.

He shuddered. Pregnant girls were scary, or at least Sakura was. He mused on whether it was really worth it. What about pregnancy was appealing? Sasuke-teme said they were aroused twenty-four/seven, and would orgasm at the drop of a hat. And even Naruto noticed the glow that pregnant women had. Their skin was soft and smooth, their hair got longer and thicker, and they put on some gorgeous curves. This time around, Sakura had those curves. Her first pregnancy made her retain water. It was obvious what had happened a few weeks after Sasuke and Sakura started sleeping together. She was pregnant all over.

Then, of course, there's the baby aspect. On the day Tenmaki was born, Sasuke held her possessively and grinned like a fool for hours. He barely left Sakura's side, telling her how beautiful she was and how perfect his daughter was.

A thought occurred to Naruto, and he felt his face flush with guilty pleasure. He thought of if he had gotten Hinata pregnant. Not the "making baby" part, but of the pregnancy itself. Finding out she would be having his baby, watching his baby grow inside her, comforting her and protecting her as his child was born, and holding his child for the first time. He didn't understand it, but somehow he knew that that was what he wanted most in the world; to be with the woman he loved and have lots of children. He glowed with the feeling a deep sense of joy filling him as he imagined how stunning Hinata would be pregnant, not all bitchy and moody like Sakura. She would be sweet and calm, most definitely NOT working. Naruto would take care of her and pamper her with beautiful things so all that happy would somehow soak into their baby's brain.

Their baby. Their baby. Naruto tried to shake it off. _Must be catching that baby fever thingy Sakura was talking about._ After Sakura's first child, lots of other women started having babies. Sakura said that by hanging out around a pregnant couple or one that has a newborn makes the hormones go crazy, and people start really wanting to get knocked up.

Naruto couldn't believe he was thinking about having a baby with Hinata right now. _I haven't even taken her on a date yet! And I'm not going to be dumb like the teme and get her Eggo Prego before we get married._ He blushed harder. _Now I'm thinking about marrying her? !_ Naruto slapped his forehead repeatedly. _SHUT UP! Nothing is going to happen if I don't get through this date, and I'm not marrying anybody until-_ He stopped dead, his mind going blank.

He was there.

His mouth was too dry for speech, but inside, all he could hear was _FUUUUUU-!_

**Another rage face for Naruto. EEEEE! I'm so excited! Please review!**


	4. Sparks Fly

**I don't own Naruto, now let's get on!**

Naruto pulled at his collar, swallowing hard. _Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit-_ He crept slowly up to the door, then it hit him; he didn't know which apartment was Hinata's. His palms began to sweat hard. _I'm so fucking screwed._

"Naruto-kun?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned, and there was Hinata. His breath caught. She was so amazingly beautiful out of her hoodie, in a dress, with her hair half pulled up, and was she wearing makeup?

Hinata shuffled her feet, blushing. Though uncomfortable showing so much shoulder, she couldn't help but notice how good Naruto looked. His hair was freshly cut, wearing an entirely black suit, save for the tie. He looked so tall and handsome. He rubbed the back of his head, smiling.

"Didn't see you there, Hinata-chan. Were you waiting long?" Hinata shook her head, smiling back. She was lying of course: she had been standing there unobtrusively for twenty minutes, convinced that he could show at any time. "Um, shall we, uh, you know, go?" Hinata nodded again, coming up to walk by his side.

Naruto swallowed nervously again. What was he supposed to do? He went through the list of manners that Sasuke had drilled into him while he was getting dressed. He flushed as he remembered what etiquette dictated a gentleman should do. Naruto sputtered a little on words, finally deciding that she would know what he was doing. Flexing his hand, he stuck out his elbow in her direction, looking at her a little helplessly.

Hinata smiled and blushed at this gesture, recognizing that Naruto had been coached. She slipped her hand to rest at the crook of his elbow, feeling dwarfed by his height. She could feel how warm he was through the jacket. Naruto gave her a shaky grin, relieved that he had done the right thing.

Presently, they arrived at the restaurant, where most of the patrons winked at Naruto as they took their table. When he thought Hinata wasn't looking, he stuck his tongue out at them. Hinata giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand. She started to pull out her chair to sit, when Naruto appeared to have a convulsion of some sort, leaping up to pull out her chair for her.

Hinata heard the snickers, and fought the dizziness brought on by scrutiny. She quickly sat, letting Naruto push in her chair after her and hand over her napkin. They were both bright red by the time they had gotten around to looking at the menus.

"Um, Naruto-kun, any idea what you would like?" She attempted to make small talk. When she looked over at Naruto, he was staring not at the menu, but desperately confusedly at the silverware. Naruto had chosen a restaurant that served both Kobe and French, so there was a French table setting, with about five different forks and three spoons.

"What in the-? I don't have five mouths…" Naruto muttered. Hinata giggled, causing Naruto to look up and blush. "What? What's with all the forks? !" He grinned, catching on that his antics were humorous. "I give up. I'll never understand Western food." Hinata laughed, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. Naruto took a deep breath, relieved that the awkwardness seemed to be fading a little. "I'm not sure." He scratched the back of his head again, pulling at the unfamiliarly short locks. "I've never done this before."

"That's what she said." Naruto turned around to glare at the person behind him who had whispered it. Kiba gave Naruto a thumbs up as Ino snickered and Shikamaru sighed. Hinata stared, horrified that her friends had tagged along and were interfering.

Naruto pouted for a minute, before leaning into the table to whisper to Hinata, "You want to get out of here?" Hinata nodded rapidly, desperate to be away from the circus. Naruto grinned, standing up and taking her hand. Hinata stood with him, face locked in embarrassment. The patrons watched in shock as the two swept from the restaurant. Ino hit Kiba. "Ow!"

"Baka!"

A few blocks from the restaurant, Naruto remembered he was holding Hinata's hand and dropped it, wiping away the sweat embarrassedly. The moment was gone. "So, um, where do you want to go?" Hinata shrugged, looking at him only in darting glances. The awkward was palpable. Naruto slapped himself internally, cursing his lack of social graces.

Hinata finally gathered up every last bit of courage she had and said "Ramen?" Naruto instantly brightened.

"Sure! I mean, if you like ramen."

Hinata found the pluck to smile back. "Father doesn't like me to eat in common places, so I don't get to eat at a ramen bar very often."

"Yosh!" He was right back to being his Naruto self again, quite happy to be away from people betting on when his date was going to faint. "What kind of ramen do you like?"

"I'm quite fond of miso, but I like pork too."

"Really? ! Me too!" Now that they didn't have a crowd, the conversation began to flow freely. "I also love that pink swirly fishcake they put on top."

"I always ask for extra. I love the texture."

"I know, right? ! Sasuke-teme always tells them to not give him any." Naruto laughed. "More for us, right?"

"Yes," Hinata allowed herself to giggle a little. "Do you always call him a teme?"

"Of course. He acts like a teme, why shouldn't I call him by his real name?" Hinata giggled again.

"Just interesting to hear him called that. In the meetings every month, it's 'Uchiha-san' this, and 'Sasuke-sama' that."

Naruto stuck out his lip. "So that's were he's getting that swelled head of his. Sama my ass." Hinata finally just laughed. Naruto grinned widely, enjoying that she wasn't hitting him like Sakura would have. "Neh, Hinata-chan, we're here." Formalities gone, they sat and ordered, first Naruto, then Hinata. With no one else at the bar, the conversation continued unhindered.

"You can't be serious." She sipped her soda, smiling.

"Like a heart attack, Hinata-chan!" Naruto crossed his heart.

"I would have thought you would have won an eating contest."

"That teme wouldn't give in." Naruto squinted and pouted, crossing his arms.

"And why did you keep eating?"

"Because I wasn't going to lose to a pompous teme like him!" Naruto's frown deepened, his lip sticking out further. "Walking around like he owned the place because all the girls loved him. Ha! Teme."

"Dozo!" The cook put the two ramen bowls in front of the couple, smiling. Naruto barely said "Itadakimasu!" before diving in. Hinata was decidedly more serene, but when Naruto surfaced from his bowl, Hinata was drinking the last of her broth. He stared in awe as she made a satisfied sigh.

"Oishii!" She declared her ramen delicious. She looked at Naruto and flushed, realizing he was staring at her with ramen noodles still hanging from his mouth. Hinata burst out laughing. "Naruto-kun, you-you've got-" Naruto slurped the noodles up, blushing, Hinata still laughing.

Hinata reached into her clutch for money, but Naruto had already slapped some bills on the wooden bar, his face exaggeratedly serious. "A gentleman pays for the bill, dobe," he intoned in a extraordinarily bad imitation of Sasuke's bland baritone. Hinata giggled, but the laugh died when she glanced at the clock.

"Neh, what's wrong?"

"It's eleven thirty." Hinata had no idea they had been talking for so long.

"Oh! Oh, um, I'll, uh, walk you home then, yes?" Naruto got up, offering his hand to her to help her from the chair. Hinata accepted the gentlemanly gesture, but even after she was safely on the ground, he didn't let go. She chanced a glance at him. He wasn't looking at her, but his face was pink. Hinata glowed with pleasure, grasping on to his hand in response, blushing just like him.

Where the walk to the ramen bar was talkative, the walk home was silent. Both Naruto and Hinata were acting embarrassed, but their hands slid from just holding into interlacing. Hinata wasn't sure if she was relieved or sad when her apartment building came into view.

"Ano, Hinata-chan…" Hinata looked up cautiously. Naruto was gazing down at her, eyes soft, that perfect shade of blue that left her weak in the knees. "Thanks for coming out with me tonight."

"Oh, that was just-" She babbled for a minute before she forced herself to shut up. "You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

"Well, thank you. I-uh-" They were back to the awkward again. "The teme and Sakura are throwing me a party on my birthday. You coming?" He smiled shyly.

The idea that Naruto had liked her enough to ask her out again gave her enough confidence to say, "Of course, Naruto-kun." They blushed and smiled, giving twin nervous laughs.

"Well, um, good night, Hinata-chan."

"Good night, Naruto-kun." With one last smile, Hinata opened the door to the building. She ran up the stairs, slamming open her door to go look out the window. Naruto was goosestepping away, pumping his arms in a victory dance. Unable to help herself, Hinata jumped up and down in a circle mirroring his dance, squealing with pure pleasure.

For the first time since she was twelve, she had hope that Naruto actually liked her back. Perfect. Too perfect to be real. Too perfect to come true. Too perfect to be.

**Wow, my characters went off in a completely different direction I had imagined. Ah, well. Review!**


	5. Mi Luxae

**And here I am again! This is the most confusing chapter ever, but I hope you like it.**

The alarm didn't even have time to go off before Hinata hit the off switch. With a gleeful squeal, she leapt out of bed, dancing her way to the shower. She turned on the radio, singing along with every love song.

She found herself unable to stop singing and dancing like she was in a musical. Naruto had been the last thing in her mind last night, the first thing in the morning, and every dream was about him. Toast had never tasted so good, air had never smelled so crisp, and leaves never so colorful. Hinata stood in the sunlight outside, inhaling deeply. Even the sky reminded her of him; the blue of his eyes, the warmth that radiated from his being.

"Morning, Shizune-senpai!" Hinata set her bag down in their shared office. Shizune smiled at the grinning girl.

"So the date went well?" Hinata sucked in a breath, going red. "Hinata-isha, calm down," Shizune soothed. "No one's going to tell your father. Everyone is very happy that you and Naruto went out."

"Everyone?" Hinata squeaked, clearly panicking.

Shizune sighed. "It's alright, Hinata. Don't worry about it. Everyone who knows is a friend, and they only want you two to be happy." Smiling again, she added, "I saw Naruto this morning. He was grinning and humming that song about the sun."

"Really?" Hinata's red flush turned into a candy pink of joy. Shizune nodded.

"Really. Now, take your happy blushing self down to records. I need the file with this number." Hinata took the print out, carefully scanning the page. Her smile slowly faded.

"Shizune-san, not to be rude, but are you serious about this? The patient- I don't know- I'm not sure-"

"We're going to use that new technique you invented," Shizune interrupted. That shut Hinata's mouth. "You do have that typed up?" Hinata nodded, removing a folder from her bag to hand to her mentor. Shizune skimmed over the words. "Do you have a partner in mind for this?"

"In the application you have in mind?" Hinata shook her head. "Normally, I would request Neji-nii-san, Sakura-senpai, or Sasuke-sama to assist, for their skill in chakra control, but I need more than that. Not only will I need someone with extreme control, I'm also going to need at least three times the chakra output."

"What about Naruto?" Shizune offered. Hinata blinked, rolling the idea over in her mind.

"Does Naruto-kun have that kind of control?"

"May I remind you he has mastered Sage Mode and completely repressed Kyuubi even without a seal?" Hinata hadn't thought about that. Come to think of it, she had watched Naruto after his illness relearning how to use chakra. The demon fox kept trying to manifest itself, and for a few moments, it looked like Kyuubi had taken over. They hadn't had Yamato available, and all the Sannin were gone. But Naruto, through sheer willpower alone, had forced the demon back down and regained control. She had never considered the idea because she had never seen Naruto do something as complex as her new ninjitsu.

"But I don't think Naruto-kun has ever done a medical procedure. And this patient…" Hinata trailed off. "He's been black listed. This is supposed to be under the radar, senpai."

To Hinata's surprise, Shizune smiled. "You don't know, do you?"

"Pardon?"

"It's unofficial, and no one outside the main administrators knows about it, but Naruto is the new Hokage." Hinata's eyes bugged out.

"But-but Kakashi-sama-"

"Is handing over control. He hates being Hokage. Naruto still has some training to do, but he's taken over most of Kakashi-san's duties." Shizune took a more serious manner. "That includes the sign off for this patient's treatment. The Hokage is automatically the proxy for all ANBU. He's going to find out anyway, and at least I have confidence in a Hokage's abilities." Hinata hung her head in shame.

"Senpai, I just worry about his prejudice. He's met our patient before." Shizune's brow furrowed in thought.

"Well, if he truly is our Hokage, he'll understand." Her eyes wandered to the window, gazing at the bars of sunlight breaking through the red and orange leaves. For the first time, Hinata saw the crow's feet around her senpai's eyes, and the creases beginning to form around her mouth. She had never thought of Shizune as particularly old, but after Tsunade-sama died, she had visibly aged. The bags under her eyes belied the burden of this case on her. "This one was honor bound to us even when he didn't have to obey. Plus, this could be the beginning of a new system of treatment, one that could save thousands of lives. If our patient knew what was going on, I'm sure he'd want us to proceed."

Hinata nodded solemnly. "I'll get that file for you."

"Thank you," Shizune seemed to snap out of her trance, smiling warmly once again at her favorite student. "I'll send a runner for Naruto. Then we can talk." Hinata gave her another quick nod and scuttled off.

Hinata auto piloted through the records room, flipping through the folders blindly. The whole situation was making her edgy. Naruto was a very passionate person with almost explosive emotions. It would be hard for him not to personalize everything.

She found the folder and slid it out quickly, catching the folder next to it, scattering papers all over the floor. Sighing at her clumsiness, she sorted out her papers from the rest. As she collected the other sheets, a symbol caught her eye. She pulled out the sheet, peering at it curiously. She checked the folder it came from. No label.

The symbol entranced her somehow. It looked familiar, but not at the same time. There was a deeper meaning to the red and black drawing that she could feel. It sort of looked like the swirled drop that most shinobi wore as a symbol of their country, but there was an intricacy that was entirely different. Maybe if she studied it a little longer…

"Hinata-isha?" A thin female voice broke her concentration. She jumped and blushed with guilt. A young genin at the doorway smiled shyly. "Shizune-san sent me. Uzumaki-san is here."

"Oh, thank you," Hinata murmured, shuffling papers to distract the ninja girl from her intense flush. "That was quick."

The tiny genin giggled lightly. "Shizune-san told me to tell him that you wanted to talk." Hinata blushed a little harder.

"Oh." Hinata held the folder to her chest and took a deep stabilizing breath. "I didn't catch your name?" she quested as they left Records.

"Onnano Misuzu," she said proudly, flattered that the attending doctor had asked for her name.

"Well, Misuzu-chan, thank you for delivering the message," Hinata thanked her again, but qualified it. "But this conversation is a question of doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Yes, Hyuuga-isha," Misuzu kicked her toe against the ground, looking disappointed. She slouched away. Hinata took another deep breath, hand on the handle, before swinging open the door.

Naruto instantly stood, grinning broadly at Hinata. Hinata beamed back, aglow with the pleasure of Naruto's presence. Shizune coughed delicately. "Naruto, Hinata, we have business." They both blushed.

"Sorry, Shizune."

Shizune gestured between the two. "Naruto-sama, Hinata has been made aware of your new title."

Naruto mumbled, "It's not official yet." He looked up at Hinata to gauge her reaction. Hinata smiled happily.

"It's so wonderful, Naruto-kun. You've wanted this since you were a child."

Naruto grinned back. Shizune cleared her throat again. "Uzumaki-san, this is important." The sharpness of her tone caught their attention. "Not only do we need you approval, we need you to participate." Shizune motioned for Hinata to hand over the file. "There is also a question of personal involvement."

Naruto took the folder slowly, staring at the titles of each file. There was a very long pregnant pause. "So this is what I was carrying," Naruto said flatly. Shizune nodded.

"I'm sorry we couldn't tell you until now." Naruto nodded, still reading the pages.

"This was a really long mission here." Naruto pointed to a date. "Was he sick before he became ANBU?" Shizune and Hinata blinked in unison.

"I thought you met him," Shizune stated blankly.

Naruto grunted an affirmation. "Yes. I also read his records last week. There were some notes about him being sick before this one mission." He looked up, holding his place with one finger. "He was still allowed to work?"

"We believe he was ill during the mission, but he didn't have serious symptoms until the mission's end." Naruto nodded again, referring back to the paper. He flipped through the other pages.

"So you really think radiation is going to cure him?" Hinata nodded. Naruto's eyes locked with Hinata's, his seriousness disconcerting. "Are you sure it's the only way?"

"Yes," Hinata answered firmly. "Will you do it?" There was another tense pause as Naruto stared at the file.

"Well, Hinata," Naruto's gaze softened. "If it's important to you."

"I hope you know you've just taken on about three extra hours of work a day for several weeks, Naruto." Shizune cracked a grin.

"EEEEHHHH? !"

**Review please! More is coming soon.**


	6. Dim the Lights

**I don't own Naruto. (Can't think of anything clever today!)**

**And to the people who want to pick me apart because I made a little grammar mistake: Nimportenawaque! J'ai fait une erreur. Mon francais n'est pas parfait.**

**And that is all I have to say.**

"Again!"

"Mou…" Naruto leaned on his knees, pulling off his hitei-ite to wipe the sweat from his face. "Sakura-chan…"

"Kora!*" Sakura seized Naruto's ear, twisting it until he stood.

"Iitei!"

"Quit your whining!" Naruto rubbed his ear. Sakura cracked her knuckles in warning. "Now, do it again!" Naruto let out a heavy breath, focusing once again on building chakra in his fingertips. "Steady, not too fast." Slowly, he touched each fingertip together, pulling his hands apart to reveal strings of green chakra. "Alright, focus. Concentrate."

Naruto closed his eyes. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Carefully, Sakura hooked her index finger around a single thread, healing chakra around her finger, twisting and fusing with Naruto's. Naruto twitched, the strings flickering. "You can do it, Naruto," Sakura said firmly. Naruto's brow furrowed further; the strings brightened. Then, slowly, Sakura pulled the thread towards her. It stretched, glowing brighter with each inch. "Let go."

Naruto bared his teeth, holding his breath. The single thread came loose, hanging lazily from Sakura's hand. Naruto put his fingers back together, and when he parted them again, the lost thread was replaced.

"Good!" At Sakura's exclamation, Naruto collapsed on his butt, panting. The thin green thread still hung from Sakura's crooked finger. "First step done!"

"First? !" Naruto wailed. "Sakura, it's been three days!"

"Rome wasn't built in a day, Naruto," Sakura scolded sagely.

"Who cares about the Greeks? !" Several tic marks popped up on Sakura's forehead. "I have so much work to do! Kakashi-sensei is really loading it on!"

"Why is he giving you so much work anyway?" Sakura pondered, unexpectedly distracted. The string faded, feathering off into the ether. "It's like he's giving you all his duties- wait." Wide-eyed, she stared at Naruto, who grinned sheepishly. "When?" she demanded.

"Last week?" Naruto said hesitantly, still unsure if his head was going to be a sacrifice to the demon goddess of hormones. "Kakashi wants to officially resign in less than a month." Sakura kept her eyes locked on Naruto in a piercing stare for a minute more.

Suddenly, her face relaxed in an easy smile. "Good job, Naruto." He chuckled tiredly in relief.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." With a strained breath, Naruto heaved himself to standing.

"I guess we're done for today." Naruto leaned on his knees again, raising a fist in silent celebration. "I have to start getting your party ready."

He looked up, alarmed. "It's not today!"

"No, but I rented out the club, and I am NOT taking off work to get everything ready."

"You rented out the club? !"

Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "It's your twenty-first birthday. You're supposed to have a big party." Naruto's head flopped back down, too tired to protest anymore. Sakura's voice became soft. "I want to make up for your eighteenth birthday." Naruto had been in the Land of Tea on his eighteenth birthday, on another excursion to cure what ailed his tenketsu. The treatment had been very painful, and only partially helped. In the end, Naruto had expressed gratitude for the step forward, but all one had to say was "senbon" to watch him cringe. "I'm sorry we couldn't be there."

Naruto waved absently in her direction. "Doesn't matter."

Sakura sighed, shaking her body as if she could slough the idea off like water. "You're off the hook for tomorrow. Just come over to the club around seven, and try not to look like a total wreck." She gave Naruto's forehead a sharp flick. He winced, recoiling enough to fall back down. After everything, he couldn't summon the desire to stand again, opting to lie flat in an X shape on the dead grass. Sakura giggled. "Still the same old dobe." She came around and leaned over him, slipping her gloves on. "Seven."

"Seven," he repeated, exhausted. She nodded, and was gone.

Naruto spent a few more moments laying there, staring up at the perfectly clear, cold sky, feeling the sweat chill his skin. He wiped it away. Sakura had been disappearing like that lately, so quickly and suddenly. It's like she slipped through time. She was always gone, excepting when she felt like beating him up. He flopped an arm over his eyes.

_Tomorrow, seven. Tomorrow, seven. Tomorrow, seven…_

O*O*O*O*O*

There was deep silence in the courtyard. It seemed as though all the life was being sucked out of the dying garden, the frost killing every speck of green. Neji thought he may make a poem of it.

"Neji, you must do this for me," Hiashi said sternly. Neji had been caught unawares on his way out of the gated mansion by his uncle. Neji stared at him blankly, wondering what gave his uncle the gall to ask anything more from him. "Our clan's position is precarious. I can't have this fall through because Hinata wishes to have a little fun."

Neji thought about this. True, besides his direct duty to his clan via the seal on his forehead, the standing of the Hyuuga clan had a direct influence on him. He turned his eyes to Hinata, who was cowering around the side wall, as if they couldn't all see her. When his thoughts became tangled, he closed his eyes, focusing on the task.

With a final decision, he sighed, staring his aging uncle in the face. "I will take her to the party." Hiashi's eyebrows contracted, confused with the answer. Neji almost took it back, but he was a man of considered words, and once they were out of his mouth, he carried them through. "Hinata will come to the party with me at her side, watching her carefully as a chaperone. I will see to it that nothing untoward happens to her." Hiashi opened his mouth to protest, but Neji sharply cut him off. "I understand why you wish her to stay, but to avoid a social gathering of this kind, with many of the current generation of esteemed clans attending, would be an insult. If she is to move away, she must solidify personal alliances within the village."

Hiashi and Neji stared long and hard into the other's eyes, waiting to see who would bend. Hiashi closed his eyes, gesturing as if to wave away an annoying insect. "Go." Instantly, Neji turned on his heel to leave, letting Hinata take the cue to follow as implied. She trotted up to him, looking worriedly behind her as if Hiashi would stop them.

"Nii-san, m-may I ask-?"

"Don't think anything of it. I am invited too." He waved his hand around, feeling quite annoyed with himself. Regularly getting some tail was making him less harsh, and he didn't know what to make of it.

"O-oh…" Hinata bowed her head, still skipping a little to keep up with his long strides.

"We all have a duty, Hinata. Avoiding your friends is not one of them." Hinata chanced a look at her cousin. Though his gesture was kind, she felt an edge that had nothing to do with her. There was a hard gleam in his eyes when he turned Hiashi down, even if it was just a compromise. Hinata had the odd feeling that Neji still harbored resentment against the head family, with Hiashi in particular, as if Hiashi had done something personal against him. She couldn't imagine what; the seal was not his idea or his doing, and neither was Hizashi's death.

With a jolt, Hinata realized there was a hidden world in these clans, one that only the chosen were privy to. Neji knew something about Hiashi, something that was never mentioned, never mind made public. Hinata looked again at who she had always considered her unyielding older brother. His dark look sealed her determination to find out what it was. Somehow, she decided, she would find a way to repay him for these almost infinitesimal acts of kindness.

O*O*O*O*O*

"You've got to be kidding me!" was Naruto's first exclamation as Sakura opened the door. A heavy beat pumped through the walls, almost drowning out what appeared to be the entire generation of Konoha shinobi raising their glasses and cheering. Naruto grinned, arms held out in disbelief. "This is unreal!"

Sakura smiled as well, satisfied she had done well. "Happy birthday, Naruto." Sasuke was sitting at the bar along one wall, two drinks on the counter in front of him. He caught Naruto's eye and motioned him over with a flick of his head.

"This is unbelievable! They all came for me?" Naruto slid up, deftly cupping one of the glasses. Sasuke picked up his own drink and saluted his blond friend.

"That and the free booze." Naruto instantly scowled.

"Teme."

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered into his glass. Naruto ignored him, leaning his back against the bar and sipping from the small square glass.

"You're so old, teme," Naruto commented, staring at the amber liquid. "Scotch? Seriously?"

"Just because I have taste, dobe, doesn't mean I'm old." Sasuke took another sip. "It just means you're a dobe."

"Fucking teme," Naruto quipped, knocking back the last of the drink. He shivered, enjoying the beginnings of a nice slow burn in his stomach. Sakura hopped up, leaning on her husband's back. He took this in stride, just leaning a little further into the bar.

"You like?"

"Yeah!" Sakura beamed. Naruto blinked, somewhat shocked. "You dressed up?"

Sakura stuck out her tongue. "Yup." Naruto had never seen her in a skirt and knee high boots, but the combo made her new womanly curves look good. Naruto bit back telling her this, sure that it would come out completely wrong. Her attention turned to Sasuke, who was hunching vulture-like over his cup. "Hey, are you drinking? You know I can't drink!" Sasuke responded by downing the last of it and holding up his hand for another. "Grrr! Ass!" She hit him firmly over the head, making him face his own stomach.

As soon as she huffed away, Sasuke looked back up at the bartender. "Make that a double." Naruto laughed. Sakura's violence was always funny, as long he wasn't the one getting the lumps.

"Another drink?" The barkeep had put down a large glass for Sasuke and was nodding to the empty cup in Naruto's hand. Naruto put it down on the bar.

"Something not so old man-ish." The man laughed, nodding. A hand flicked Naruto's ear. He dodged away. "Hey!" When he turned to look at the perpetrator, he came face to face with a person he hadn't seen in years. "What the-? !"

"Up to the same kicks, Naruto?" Temari smirked. "Nice party."

"Who-"

"Me." Sasuke put up his hand as he nursed his drink.

"What, you not happy to see us?" Temari was the same as ever, if taller and matured. Some of the height was in her black heels, but the fishnets and short black kimono only enhanced her towering stature. She raised her eyebrow and smiled in a superior way, like she knew she was in charge. Unfortunately, she usually was right.

"Us?" Naruto craned his neck to look over her shoulder. _Hot damn, she's almost as tall as me!_ Kankuro was behind her, free of his puppets and makeup, ordering his first drink. He gave a little wave hello. Gaara stepped around his freakishly tall sister. He smiled almost undetectably.

"Happy birthday, Naruto."

"Uh, thanks," Naruto said awkwardly, still in shock from the giantess in front of him.

"Free alcohol, if you haven't figured it out." Sasuke pointed to the shelves behind the bar, the rim of the crystal glass never leaving his lips.

"I guessed," Temari snapped in the direction of her brother sitting at the bar. He looked back at her, arms raised in a motion of "what?" She snorted, shaking her head. "Whatever." Gaara was scanning the room silently, taking in everything. Temari elbowed him in a sisterly way. "You alright, Gaara?" He nodded, looking innocent and curious.

"NARUTO!" Ino barreled up and glomped Naruto with force. Naruto choked a little in her grip, looking helplessly at Temari. She smirked and saluted.

"Catch you later, pretty boy." Naruto would have taken a minute to question that statement, but he was too busy being strangled.

Ino finally released him. "Happy birthday!" Naruto coughed, raising a hand as a thanks. Shikamaru wasn't far behind, hands in the pockets of his pants, slouching. Ino turned to slap his arm. "He says happy birthday too."

Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes. "So troublesome."

Before Naruto could say anything, Ino spoke for him. "If it's so troublesome, you can go home, moron!" Naruto recoiled a little, eye twitching. _She's becoming more and more like Sakura everyday…_ After a minute or two more of bitching, Ino turned back to Naruto, all smiles again. "So, is she here yet?"

"Who?" Naruto blinked blankly for a second, watching Ino's face contort with rage. "I-I MEAN, I don't know!" He blurted out an answer as quickly as his brain formed the words. Ino opened her mouth to scream, but froze, looking behind Naruto to the door. "What?" She wasn't the only one. Lots of people were staring at the door to the club. "What is everybody- oh…" His thoughts came to a sudden halt.

Neji cleared the doorway quickly, ducking into the shadows. He didn't intend to babysit, no matter what he had promised Hiashi. Hinata stood helplessly as the door closed behind her, her hands pulled up to her mouth in embarrassment. Kiba came up beside her, nudging her with a grin. Slowly, she lowered her arms, revealing that under her hooded car coat, she was wearing a crossover top with a deep plunge neck.

Naruto turned red, unable to move or breathe. Even when Kiba dragged her off to the low couches and tables on the far side of the room, he couldn't take his eyes off her. "Oi, dobe. You're staring." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar, forcing him to face the bar instead. "If Sakura catches you, I'm not cleaning up the blood." Naruto rubbed his warm face, trying to make the sweat go away. "Here." Sasuke pushed a new glass towards Naruto, one with salt on the rim. Naruto knocked it down, shuddering violently. "Bite this." A lime wedge was stuck in Naruto's mouth, which instantly killed the bitter prickling at the back of his throat. Naruto gasped for breath around the wedge still clamped in his teeth. Sasuke flicked his gaze in Hinata's direction as she was taking off her coat. "She's grown." Naruto nodded stiffly, grateful for the tingling numbness the drink was sending through his system.

He removed the lime from his mouth. "What the hell did you just give me?" A bolt of lightening went up Naruto's spine, making him shiver.

"Tequila, but I wouldn't blame the alcohol so quickly." Sasuke eyed Hinata's ample cleavage one more time. "Frisson is the reason, and I don't blame you." Sasuke grunted appreciatively into his third Scotch. "She's got some nice knockers."

"SH-SHUT UP!" Naruto sputtered, his face flushing harder. "BARKEEP! Another!"

"Pig." Ino curled her lip.

"No one was talking to you," Sasuke said lowly. Ino steamed.

"Shika!" Shikamaru just sighed, shaking his head.

"What? What do you want me to do about it?" Ino started in on him again, and Naruto could have sworn Sasuke was sniggering into his glass.

"Scary…" Naruto distracted himself with the next shot of tequila, starting to like the strange looseness that accompanied the harsh drink. "Alright, here's the thing," he squeezed out around the violent shudder the tequila gave him. He slammed down the glass. "I have no idea how to dance."

"What?" Sasuke looked at him like he was a complete cretin. "You said you don't know how to dance?"

"Yeah, so? !" Naruto sputtered.

"Any moron can dance. Then again, you aren't just any moron…"

"TEME!" Sakura had somehow decided she wasn't mad anymore and had joined the two at the bar, just as Naruto screamed.

"I heard names being called. Do I have to separate you two?" Sakura looked between her former teammates, smirking a little at their insufferable bickering.

"He doesn't know how to dance." She looked at him with the same expression as Sasuke's.

"What? You can't be serious."

"Why is this such a big deal? !" Naruto was notably flustered, regretting he had brought up the subject at all.

"Because you can't date a girl and not know how to dance." Sakura gestured to the couples around the room.

"You were the one who brought it up, dobe," Sasuke reminded him.

"So? ! Forget I said anything! ANOTHER!" Naruto flung his arm in the air to call the attention of the bartender. Sakura shook her head.

"Baka, you're going to have to dance. If not here, then at Ino's wedding, and if not there, then-"

"I KNOW!" Naruto cut her off before she could spill the beans. Sakura didn't have to be drunk to splash everybody's business everywhere.

"Honey, let's show him." Sakura dragged her hand around Sasuke's neck, tracing a possessive pattern on his shoulders. Sasuke nodded, standing as he downed the dregs of his drink to join her.

There was a relatively light song on, and as the chorus began, Sasuke took her hand and she twirled into his arms, slipping easily into a traditional dance position. They stayed close together, excepting for the twirls, and moved to the deep beat, his hips keeping time with hers. They made it look easy, the way that their feet moved at the same time, his nose brushing hers, looking deep into hers. It seemed so passionate, the way they gazed at each other, his hand on her waist, hers crawling up his neck.

Sakura shouted at him from the dance floor, "Does that look so hard?"

"Yes!" Naruto shouted back, turning away to his drink.

"Hey." The silver-haired Hokage slid up the bar to Naruto's side, a drink also cradled in his hand.

"Hi." Naruto looked him up and down. "How do you drink that with your mask on?"

"Oh it's easy. Look, a butterfly." Kakashi pointed. Naruto searched the ceiling.

"Where?" When he didn't see it, he faced back to his former teacher, who was smiling with the empty glass in his hand. He glared.

"Having a good time?" Naruto grunted noncommittally, taking his next shot. "Would that have anything to do with Hinata sitting right there with an extraordinarily low cut shirt on?" Naruto grunted again. Kakashi let his gaze linger on the young ninja. "Nice tits on her."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Naruto's cheeks were flushed red, half from anger, half from the alcohol.

"What? It's a compliment."

"Ass."

O*O*O*O*O*

"Kiba-kun, just let me have-"

"Nope!" Kiba tossed Hinata's coat off in a random corner, grinning. "You shouldn't hide those." Hinata squirmed. Kiba shook her a little. "Hinata, enjoy yourself! You got out of the house, and wearing that too!"

"That's only because Neji-nii-san-" Hinata pointed at her cousin, only to stop dead and blush. Kiba waggled his eyebrows.

"See? Even he's having a good time."

Neji was currently pressing Temari into the wall, dominating her with a very deep kiss. Funnily enough, the normally alpha female was bending her knees together in a girlish way, allowing Neji to be in control.

"HEADS UP!" Kiba barely had time to raise his eyes when someone tackled him, toppling him over on the ground. "Pinned ya." Yoko grinned. Kiba growled, attempting to roll her over and thus defeat her, but she just flipped him again, holding his wrists. "Pinned ya again."

"Bitch."

"Thank you." She gave his lip a bite and stood. Kiba sat up, rubbing his wrists and looking mildly pissed.

"What are you doing here?"

Yoko shrugged, swiping back a stray black hair. "The Sand Siblings came up for the party and the wedding, so I came with. I heard there is an open bar." Kiba brightened.

"Hell yeah!" Yoko pushed Hinata's back until she stood up and started steering her to the bar. "A drink would do you good, Hinata."

"What- but-" Hinata attempted to turn, but Kiba and Yoko frog marched her onward.

"Come on, Hinata-san," Yoko coaxed. "A drink or two and you will forget that your boobs are popping out of your top." Hinata squeaked, frantically covering her chest.

"You aren't helping."

"Okay, rephrase." Waving her hands around like some sort of mystic, Yoko tried again. "A drink or two, and you may get laid." Hinata felt herself weave back and forth like the floor was moving.

"No, that wasn't any better."

"What will it be?" The barkeeper smiled at the group, amused by all the drama going on at his club tonight.

"Um, virgin daiquiri."

"WHAT? !" Kiba stared at her incredulously. "What kind of a drink is that? !"

"I really don't need alcohol…" The exuberant pair stared flatly at the blushing girl.

"Yeah, sure, you of all people don't need to loosen up. Vodka, two shot glasses, and leave the bottle." The drinks were delivered, the bartender giving Kiba and Yoko significant glances. Kiba winked.

"Hey, are you wearing mascara? !" Yoko grabbed Hinata's face, turning her to the left so Yoko could peer intently at Hinata's eyelashes. Kiba surreptitiously splashed a shot into Hinata's glass.

"Kiba-kun, I saw that," Hinata said from her captive position. Yoko let her go so Hinata could look at him reproachfully.

"Oh come ON, Hinata! You seriously need to just have a few drinks and relax!" Kiba poured himself and Yoko a shot each. "Chill out, and then you won't be so nervous around Naruto."

As the two took their shots, exclaiming how strong the alcohol was, Hinata stared at her own drink, thinking. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Kiba and Yoko could be right. With a deep sigh, she picked up the glass. Yoko and Kiba grinned wolfishly as she did, new shots in hand.

"To an awesome party!" Yoko put up her glass. The others followed suit, clinking crystal. "Bottoms up, lovely!"

Hinata sipped. She didn't taste much except the sour mix, so she took a deeper swallow. Kiba gave her the thumbs up. At this point, she didn't understand what everybody got so worked up about. This being her first real drink, all she felt was a low smoldering sensation in her stomach. Though it wasn't unpleasant, she didn't feel anything close to inebriated. The last of her drink disappeared.

"Another?" Kiba was smiling in a suspicious way, like he knew something Hinata hadn't quite caught onto yet. She offered her empty glass, figuring that if the mild daiquiri didn't work, then she needed something stronger. "You move fast." He poured a generous portion in the crystal glass. She waited patiently for Yoko's glass to be filled, then knocked back the whole cup in one swallow like the others.

Fire seemed to burst from her stomach, consuming her flesh and firing from her fingertips. She tilted her head up, shuddering at the harsh taste, willing the bitter taste to leave. But when she opened her eyes, she suddenly understood.

Everything tingled pleasantly, toes numb and warm, knotted muscles relaxed, a slow smile taking up residence on her face. Hinata sighed with the sparkling sensation, taking deep sweet breaths. When she looked at Yoko and Kiba, they were smiling similarly, their cheeks flushed pink and rosy. She giggled.

"Toasted yet, sweetheart?" Yoko said, slightly slurring. Hinata smiled wider, wondering how she could even experience something like this. Everything was syrupy, blended lights flashing in a dim room, the bass deep like the beat of a giant heart, the singer's words flowing like honey over and under and though her very being. She found herself closing her eyes and swaying to the beat, completely entranced by the music. It was almost like an epiphany. Joy. Ecstasy. "Dance with me!" Hinata didn't even speak. She was so taken with the feeling that she seized Yoko by the hand and dragged her out on the floor.

All her life, all Hinata had been taught was court dances and other traditional styles. She had never danced in the modern way. But everyone that watched was convinced she was born to dance this way. Her arms raised to the ceiling, swaying to the beat, her hips gyrating with the bass; she looked so completely free.

Hinata raised her face, smiling, mouthing the words to the song. She felt so alive. Every nerve fired pleasure to her brain. She could feel the air, warmed by so many bodies flowing over her skin. It was almost as if she could feel everything, but it was all good. Every sensation was beautiful, a revelation. Anything could happen.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Here." Kakashi pushed a brown paper package in Naruto's direction across the wooden bar. "Happy birthday." Naruto looked at it curiously as he unwrapped it, undoing the twine and ripping the paper. A three pointed kunei rolled out into his hand. Sutras were written on the pale wooden handle. Kakashi watched Naruto's expression as he turned the intricate knife over in his hands, taking in all the details.

"Sensei, what is this?" There were many snide comebacks to be made to that statement, but Kakashi knew what Naruto meant.

"It used to be the Yondaime's, but now I've given it to you. I think if you work with it, some very great things would happen." Naruto's fingers brushed the length of the kunei meditatively.

"Thank you, Kakashi." His words were sincere and heartfelt. Kakashi nodded, tipping his empty glass at Naruto.

"To Nanadaime." Kakashi referenced him as "The Seventh Hokage." It was a great honor. Of course, Kakashi had to break it. "Holy boobs."

Naruto turned to look in the same direction and caught an eyeful of Hinata swaying sensually to the music. He watched her drag a slender hand up her hip, over her chest, snaking up her cheek to grasp a handful of thick purple hair. "Oh God."

"Amen," Kakashi responded. While Naruto was getting an eyeful, Kakashi caught Sakura's eye, making a tiny nod. Sakura broke away from Sasuke, coming back to Naruto.

"Come on, I'll teach you." She dragged Naruto out on the floor. Understandably, Naruto was awkward and uncomfortable with grabbing Sakura like that, but the threat of bodily harm helped. She lead him through the steps of holding a woman's waist, keeping his hips in time with the music.

All it took was a wink. One wink, and suddenly, Naruto and Hinata were face to face, just as a new song began. There was a long pause.

Naruto offered his hand, smiling. Hinata smiled right back, taking his hand. Though neither had danced this way, a few beats later they were moving like they were meant to be. Where Naruto was clumsy with Sakura, he was fluid. Where Hinata was hesitant, she was loose. She turned her back to him, letting an arm hook his neck behind her. The passion that Naruto had seen before with Sakura and Sasuke was with them there. Despite the full foot difference between the two, Hinata stretched up to meet him as Naruto leaned down to press his cheek to hers. No one else was in the room. Just them, moving to a sensual beat, feeling the other's warmth, enjoying the closeness.

When Hinata turned back around, Naruto gazed into her lavender eyes, trying to speak where his lips failed. Hinata looked back just as fervently. The alcohol had taken away the social restrictions, leaving two would-be lovers on the dance floor, wanting to touch, but only daring in the dark.

Naruto kept staring at those perfect lips, rosy pink and parted, like they were a week ago. So unbelievably perfect. He didn't care about anything except her right now. As if on instinct, he inched down, wanting to feel those soft lips against his, feel what it would be like to have a real kiss. Hinata leaned up to him, similarly not caring, just wanting. Closer, closer, just an inch more…

Hinata fainted.

**Sorry this took so long! Please review!**

_*** This has no direct translation, so I'll try to describe it. You say it to naughty children when they are misbehaving. It's somewhere between "Cut it out!" and "How dare you!"**_


	7. In the Moonlight

**Aaaaaaaand har wee goe!**

Hinata fainted. She slumped against Naruto limply.

"Oh crap!" Naruto held her up, looking back to Sakura, who was already on her way. Sakura took one look at Hinata's face and slapped her forehead.

"ALRIGHT, who gave her so much alcohol? !" Naruto blinked, tilting his head to look at Hinata's flushed, slack face. Yoko and Kiba started shuffling towards the door. Sakura didn't miss them. "YOU BAKA! She didn't faint, Naruto. She's drunk."

"Really?" Naruto shook her a little. Hinata didn't stir.

Sakura was fuming, face bright red. "Morons! She's a novice!" Her eye was twitching as she turned around to face Naruto. "She has to sleep it off."

"We can't take her back to her apartment," Sasuke observed. "This drunk…someone will notice."

"Hinata can stay with us." Sasuke shook his head.

"We're living in a two bedroom apartment right now, Sakura, and we have a child at home. She's bound to have a hangover."

"Hokage's office?"

"First place Hiashi would check."

Sakura pondered carefully. "Hiashi is going to check everywhere."

"There's one place he can't check, and Hinata would be looked after."

"Hospital?" Sasuke nodded to Naruto. Sakura stared incredulously. "Naruto's apartment? !"

"He seals that damn house every night. If I didn't know Naruto lived there, I wouldn't be able to find him at all."

"Really?" Everyone within earshot stared in amazement at an oblivious Naruto. "But, Sasuke, your Sharingan-"

"Completely useless against whatever jitsu he's using."

Sakura's brow furrowed, conceding with a nod. "Good. Naruto, pick her up. She's staying with you until the morning."

"Wait, WHAT? !"

O*O*O*O*O*

"Naruto, I'm impressed." Sakura caressed the door jamb, tracing her fingers over the sutras painted there. "Did you come up with this yourself?" Naruto slid Hinata from his arms onto his bed as gently as he could. As he straightened up, he tottered and almost fell over, catching himself on the wall. Sakura frowned, annoyed. "You're wasted, aren't you?" Naruto looked at her, grinning. She snorted. "You lush. I take it you had a good time other than Hinata fainting?" Naruto's smile widened. "Good."

She came around Naruto to sit on the edge of his bed, removing Hinata's heels and unwrapping her top. Underneath was one of her customary camisoles, though it was decidedly lower cut than usual. Sakura stood to fold Hinata's clothes and spotted Naruto stumbling out of the bathroom. "You are so unbelievably drunk. Come sit over here with Hinata." She guided him to sit on the bed, sniggering. "I'm not going to have you wake her by crashing around."

Sakura busied herself finding Naruto's camp bed, laying it out by the heater, taking out anti-nausea medicine and setting it on the tiny kitchen table. When she looked back up, Naruto was sitting quite close to Hinata, pulling up a blanket. His fingers caressed her cheek. Sakura was about to say something about getting fresh with a drunk woman, when she saw the look on his face.

Naruto gazed down at her sleeping face with a perfect tenderness. "Neh, Sakura-chan, I know you helped but…you know, Hinata-chan saved my life." Sakura nodded, making a small noise of agreement. "I don't think I ever really told her thank you." His fingers wandered up to run through her long purple hair. He moved slowly, feeling every strand, letting locks of it twirl around his fingers. "I never told her how pretty she is." Naruto leaned down, his eyes taking in every detail of her face. "She always saw me, and I've never told her how much that means to me." He leaned over that last few inches and kissed her on the mouth.

Sakura stared in awe. It was if they were lighting up the room. With anyone else, Sakura would be kicking their asses for doing such a thing on a sleeping girl, but this was so different. It was the kiss that they were meant to have at the party. The half moon backlit the pair, throwing them in half darkness, in a silhouette.

Naruto only lingered for a second, before pulling back. His eyes were half lidded and affectionate. He looked back up at Sakura, smiling foggily, as if in a dream. Sakura snapped out of it and put her hands on Naruto's shoulders as if he were a child.

"Come on, Naruto-kun. You need to sleep." He stood obediently, and she ushered him to the pallet. Naruto grinned sleepily as she peeled his jacket off for him.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"It's nothing, Naruto-kun. Go to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow." Naruto lay down, still smiling, even as he nodded off.

Sakura stood, sighing. She hung up the jacket on the back of his desk chair and headed for the door. As soon as she opened it, Kakashi was there. "They alright?"

"Yes. Both sleeping."

Kakashi held out a sheaf of paper. "Here. Leave it on the table for Naruto to find. I informed Hiashi that Hinata was called away on an emergency mission, and I assigned Neji to stay with the Sand siblings for a few days to lay low. That should throw him off the scent." Sakura slipped the paper on the table, pinning it down with a glass she had left out. Before she closed the door, she looked back in the tiny apartment one last time. The two were sleeping so peacefully, bathed in the light of the moon. Kakashi looked over her shoulder. "I didn't say this, but that is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." Sakura nodded, fighting tears in her eyes. Kakashi clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Hormones, huh?" She nodded, wiping away the drops.

"Yeah. Hormones," she whispered. Kakashi took a moment more to take in the sight, before pulling the door closed.

O*O*O*O*O*

The sun shone brightly through the lone window. As a bar of light fell across Hinata's face, her eyes fluttered and squinted. She brought a hand up to shield her eyes before sitting up.

Her lips parted as she realized where she was. She looked down at herself and blushed. Someone had undressed her. Though she wasn't naked, she still flushed with the idea of someone taking off her clothes.

Hinata looked around curiously. She never knew Naruto lived so sparsely. Her blush deepened as she realized she had slept in a boy's house overnight, and in his own bed too. She wondered where Naruto had gone.

The question was answered quickly when she saw a lump on the floor by the heater. He had rolled out his camping bed, leaving the raised mattress for Hinata. She smiled as he snored slightly, mouth open and drooling, arms akimbo.

Hinata decided to let him sleep, instead choosing to gingerly tiptoe across the room. A glass sat out on the table, along with a packet of seltzer tablets and a note.

_ Naruto,_

_ I sent word to Hiashi that Hinata was needed on a mission to avoid awkward questions. When she feels well enough, come over to the main building and we can sort it out from there._

_ You owe me._

_ Kakashi_

Hinata smiled again, moving on to Naruto's messy desk.

Unfurled scrolls covered the table, along with handwritten notes, manila folders, and typed sheets of figures. But the wall above the desk is what caught her attention.

Several photos and papers were framed and hung, seemingly in no particular order. A yellowed sheet of rice paper, with Naruto's name in bold type, indicating that Naruto was an emancipated minor the day he became a genin. A portraiture of Naruto holding a newborn Uchiha Tenmaki, along with a note announcing Naruto the godfather. Naruto's grin shone in many of the pictures: the Uchiha wedding, him and his mentor Jiriya, the day his first Chunin exam began. Hinata giggled a little at that one. Naruto had been making fun of the other students. She wondered who took it. She even spotted herself there, smiling shyly at the camera while Naruto grinned foolishly. It was the five of them, her, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, and Shikamaru, on the day they became Jounin. Next to it was a photo of Team 7 a few days after they had become genin.

One final frame caught her eye. She had to lean in to read it. It was a partially burned piece of mulberry paper, matted on a white board. Naruto's name was on it, as well as his birthday and a list of stats. It was his birth certificate. Hinata put her hand over her mouth, feeling deeply saddened that Naruto had a birth certificate, but his parents' names were burned away. She stared at it for a good long time, peering intently at the seal imprinted next to his name. It was a red swirl, like a drop of fire.

She shook her head, confused. Her mind felt fuzzy and dense. She knew she had seen the symbol somewhere, but she couldn't remember. Her pale eyes traced the seal, taking in the details. It was complex, with many different layers. She tilted her head, realizing there was a watermark under the symbol. Blinking hard against her dry heavy eyes, Hinata struggled to make sense of the mysterious red drop. She brought up a finger to trace the swirl. Her brow suddenly furrowed. _It's a…labyrinth?_

"OI!" Hinata jumped, whipping around in shock. Naruto waved his hand in the air. "That turtle is taking my ramen!" He snorted and turned over, still asleep. Hinata took deep breaths, willing her heart to slow.

Presently, she started wondering what to do next. Her nose wrinkled as she realized she reeked of alcohol. A shower was due, but that sent her to new heights of ditherdom. _Bathe in Naruto's bathroom? ! I'll be naked! Like, NAKED naked! No clothes on naked!_ She blushed hard, unable to make up her mind. She didn't want to go out looking and smelling like a common drunkard, but neither did she want to take her clothes off with Naruto not ten feet away! Finally, she suppressed an embarrassed squeal, rushing into the small bathroom and shutting the door. Having to pee really bad can change a girl's mind.

That being done, she turned on the shower, stripping slowly, aware of every noise outside the door. She showered as quickly as she could, borrowing Naruto's soap and shampoo. Shivering with fright, she reached for a towel.

Except there wasn't one.

Hinata suppressed another squeak of dismay. _Oh no!_ She was sure she had seen towels in a basket near the table, but that would require her to walk almost all the way across the studio apartment, right past Naruto. _No! No no no no no no… !_

O*O*O*O*O*

With a snort, Naruto woke up. He rubbed his face vigorously, willing blood into his fuzzy brain. He sniffed. _Blech! I smell like rotting cactus!_ Not thinking, he rolled over, slowly getting up to shuffle to the bathroom. Off came the shirt, then his pants, the underwear with it. He grabbed a towel from the basket and went to open the bathroom door.

Suddenly, it swung open as he was leaning forward, and a purple haired flurry ran right into him. Naruto's eyes bugged as he stared down at an extraordinarily red Hinata. They swallowed simultaneously. Naruto could feel her curves through the towel that had caught between them. _Oh my God._ Hinata shuddered and swayed a bit.

"Woah, don't faint!" Naruto blushed as he realized he half wished she would. Then he'd get to put his hands on her bare skin. Sakura's voice rang in his head: _Shut up, you pervert!_ "You can take the towel, and uh-" He was blathering again. _Oh shit! Down!_

O*O*O*O*O*

Hinata had to work hard not to black out. Naked. Naruto was naked. And she was naked. And all that naked was pressed up against each other. Well, except where the towel was, separating their torsos by some twist of fate. Naked. Naked. Oh so naked.

Despite the utter humiliation of the experience, something in Hinata squirmed in pleasure. Through the towel, she could feel the muscles on his abdomen and chest. They were toned, but not cut, from all those hours training. It was amazing he had kept them after months of being at a desk. Her own stomach contracted a little, rippling against him involuntarily. A warm glow began to swell deep in her abdomen. She shuddered and swayed with the feeling.

"Woah, don't faint!" Naruto blurted, clearly thinking she was about to topple. She watched him flush as well, two rosy spots appearing on his cheeks. Something pressed into her stomach and she shivered again, for no other reason than pleasure.

She gripped the edges of the towel a little too hard as her lips parted, short gasps coming out from between them. Hinata didn't quite understand what the feeling was, but it was quickly dissolving her shyness. There was a deep want within her, a pining and a longing that gave no thought as to anything outside the moment. It made her salivate and breathe harder, like a hunger of sorts. _I want…_ She couldn't finish the sentence, even to herself.

"Yes, towel, yours, go, towel," Naruto's voice increased in pitch as he pushed the towel into Hinata, seemingly away from him. _Want…want…want…_ She leaned into him. Naruto appeared to be losing his restraint. "What-but-your father-"

The words snapped Hinata out of her trance. "Eep!" She snatched the towel and closed the door. She clapped her hands over her mouth, horrified at her wanton behavior. _How did that happen? ! What got into me? ! What if word gets out? !_ Hinata hung her head in shame.

**TTFN lovelies! I hope to be out with the next chappie soon. Review!**


	8. Harsh Glare

**I'm sure you don't want to hear my excuses, so let's just get on with it, shall we?**

"God…" Naruto's harsh whisper was lost in the slam of the bathroom door. He stood frozen in shock for several seconds after the door shut, trying to process what had happened. He looked down angrily at his own traitorous anatomy. "You!" he hissed, furious with himself. "You just had to add your opinion!" Naruto was sure that Hinata could feel his interest. It wasn't as if he was particularly small, and Hinata's bare body had brought about a full force announcement of such. Naruto could barely remember a time when it had happened that quickly, or with that degree of hardness. It almost hurt, thinking about her pale, smooth, wet skin. He winced. "Damn it."

Now came the issue of making it go away. Naruto had heard of reciting complicated mathematical equations in one's head, but Naruto knew himself too well to even try. He thought hard for a few seconds more. A shuffling in the bathroom reminded him of how short a time he had. _Crap! THINK THINK THINK what could make Mr. Widge go away? !_ He broke out in a cold sweat with anxiety, but his erection was unabated. Suddenly, it hit him.

_CHOJI IN A BIKINI ON A COLD DAY!_

Instant shrinkage.

He had barely enough time to pull on a fresh pair of boxers with pants before the door cracked open. One of Hinata's eyes peeked around the jamb. Naruto chuckled nervously, pulling a tank over his head to cover the fact that he hadn't had time to button his fly. _At least the Widge has gone home._ "Hey, Hinata."

Seeing that he had clothes on, she inched the door open further. She had assumed her usual stance of being hunched, tucking her frame in and keeping her eyes down as much as possible. "Um, g-good morning, Naruto-kun."

_Don't think about her naked, don't think about her naked, don't think about- FUCK I'm useless! _Naruto wished he could slap himself without looking like a total basket case. "Uh, sorry about-well, you know."

Hinata blushed again, her head dipping lower, finger pointing to the table. Naruto followed her direction to the piece of paper sitting there. A sweat drop appeared on his forehead as he read. _Kakashi, I can't decide if you are a saint or an asshole._ "I'll take you to the Hokage's building, then." Hinata nodded silently following him to the door. Naruto tried to behave like a gentleman by holding the door open for her after he had passed through. As she crossed him, her eyes flicked up for a second, and their gazes connected.

With a shock, Naruto saw the last thing he expected. Her eyes shone with desire and hope. But unlike that cold day a week ago, he couldn't bring himself to look away. His pulse roared in his ears. As her lips parted, Naruto could have sworn he could remember the feel of those lips on his. He twitched. Had he kissed her?

Before he could truly contemplate the idea, Hinata had looked away and was moving down the stairs. He shook his head, following her. _Ugh, guess I'm a little hung over. Wonder if Hinata is._ Despite his desire to inquire after her wellbeing, he was still humiliated by the morning's folly.

Naruto was grateful when he saw Temari waving from across the street. Intimidating as the woman was, the awkward silence was killing him. "Hey, Naruto."

"Hi." She strode over. Out of her heels, she was a few inches shorter, but she still towered over Hinata.

"Sweet party last night." She grinned, throwing a mischievous look at Hinata.

"It was all Sakura." Naruto craned his neck to look around the quiet streets. "Thought Neji was stuck with you. Where are Gaara and Kankuro?" Temari rolled her eyes.

"Couldn't hold their alcohol. Even Gaara hurled. Neji hasn't tossed his lunch yet, but I think that's because he keeps swallowing it back down." Naruto and Hinata made similarly sickened faces. "What about you two? Hung over?"

"Just a little fuzzy." Hinata smiled. Naruto reflexively smiled as well, relieved that she wasn't faring too badly.

"Considering how much Kiba tipped in your cup, that's a bloody miracle." Temari's eyes tracked the shops up and down the street. "What you need is a big greasy breakfast." Naruto's stomach made a loud growl in agreement. Hinata giggled a little, hiding her smile behind her slender fingers.

Temari kept up her chatter as they entered a little greasy spoon, taking a table near the window. Hinata gazed outside. "Warm for October, isn't it?"

Temari nodded, scanning the menu. "Don't expect it to stay though. Cold winds tonight." Her head snapped up. "Hey! Garcon! Can we get some service? !" The waiter scurried over, dodging the crowded tables. His mouth twitched around his too tight smile.

"What can I get you?"

"Three coffees."

Naruto prickled. "Who said I wanted-"

"Shut up." Temari dismissed him with a wave of her hand, still staring intensely at the waitron. "Three coffees." He nodded and scuttled off. Naruto pouted, glaring at his menu as if the laminated paper had insulted his mother. "What are you getting, Hinata?"

Hinata's pale eyes wandered up and down the list. "Maybe some whole wheat toast, egg white omelet…"

"Psh!" Temari snorted derisively. "I said greasy! Your head will never come back down if you don't load up with fat and carbs!" She smacked the menu out of Hinata's hand onto the table to point at a line. A sweat drop appeared on Hinata's forehead.

"Um, Temari-chan, that's two fried eggs, hash browns with cheese, and three slices of bacon. I'm not sure I can-"

"Yes, you can," Temari interjected again. "Trust me." She flicked her head in Naruto's direction. "You?" Naruto opened his mouth to answer just as Temari snatched the menu from him. "So it's settled. We're all having the same thing. What a coincidence! GARCON!" The poor man was back with three mugs of black coffee. Naruto was surprised his hair didn't ripple with the force of Temari's shout. "Three number one combos, please." As he set the cups down, Temari leaned in, smiling in a dangerous way. "Thank you so much." Hinata and Naruto sweat dropped, automatically scooting back to put distance between them and the shark like curl on Temari's face. Naruto made a mental note to give the waiter a massive tip on the way out. Temari's scary grin widened as she turned her gaze on the two. "So. Last night." Hinata blushed.

"What of it?" Naruto twitched, suspecting a rumor was forming.

"What happened?" Temari leaned in further. Naruto leaned back. "I'm dying to know."

Naruto shrugged, shaking his head. "As far as I know, I took her back to mine and I slept on the floor. Then we woke up and-" Blood rushed to his face as he remembered what had happened, but it was quickly sucked away by something else lower down. With a jolt, Naruto recalled he still hadn't buttoned his fly.

"And?"

"And we ran into you." Naruto frantically tried to think of a way to do up his pants without being obvious that something needed to be tucked away. Temari arched an eyebrow, smile dying. She so clearly knew that he was hiding something. Her lips pursed.

Miraculously, Hinata came to the rescue. "Temari-san, you and Neji-nii-san…" The side of Temari's mouth curled in a knowing smile.

"So you saw?" Her smirk widened at Hinata's pink flush. "I did that on purpose."

"What?" Naruto was clueless, as usual. Temari rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

"I've been fucking Neji for a while now." Hinata clapped her hands over her mouth at the swear word. Temari chuckled at Naruto and Hinata's shocked faces. "He wanted to keep it quiet, but I say, screw that. I want everyone to know Neji's dick is mine." Hinata forgot to breathe. Naruto slammed his hand into the table, aghast.

"EEEEHH? ! You and Neji? !" Temari closed her eyes, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers and making an affirmative noise. Naruto took advantage of the moment to button up, hoping against hope that Hinata didn't see with those all seeing eyes. Luckily, she was fixated on Temari.

"A master at self-control. He never finishes until I've come at least twice." She looked up, ignorant of the horrified expressions in front of her. "God, I'm hungry."

O*O*O*O*O*

The rest of the breakfast was uneventful, mostly consisting of Naruto stuffing his face, Temari making snide comments about his eating habits, and Hinata's silent chewing. Temari was right, however. Hinata found she had no trouble plowing through the whole plate. She felt much better after, well enough to slip some bills on the table and escape before Naruto could say anything.

The three split off in their separate ways. Naruto, uneasy about why Hinata had slipped away so quickly, dove into his work, hardly stopping for meals and sleep. Hinata disappeared into the hospital, trying to forget what had happened by working late nights and sleeping in the on-call room. The days took on a feverish pace, each day exactly like the one before it.

"Naruto." Kakashi flicked a balled up paper at the back of his student's head. Naruto twitched, turning around with a furiously annoyed face.

"What," he said stiffly through gritted teeth. He had just gotten in and had started right away on the night's reports. Lack of sleep made him tetchy.

"You look like you have really bad guy-liner." Naruto's face ticked madly in fury. He turned back around, hunching his shoulders. Kakashi threw another paper at him. Naruto's form shuddered with the effort of keeping himself from killing Kakashi.

"Oi. We have work."

"No shit," Naruto growled darkly. "Let me finish this."

"Not that." Kakashi stood, grabbing his pack from the chair in the corner. "We're taking a break from that paperwork." The paper in Naruto's hand crumpled as he gripped it too hard.

"No paperwork?"

"No paperwork. Get you bag. We're leaving."

"Leaving to where?" Naruto picked up his backpack to follow Kakashi out the door.

"We're meeting with the Emperor and his son today."

"W-WHAT? !" Naruto dashed in front of his sensei. "But I- I'm all- !"

"I know." Kakashi's one visible eye was smiling. "Are you a ninja or not?" Naruto hunched, chastised.

"Henge, yeah, I know." A quick hand sign and a poof of smoke erased the dark circles under Naruto's eyes, as well as his rumpled clothes. Kakashi didn't stop to wait, letting his student jog to catch up to him. "Where are we meeting him?"

"Sasuke's house is finally finished. He should be there about," Kakashi looked at a wall clock. "Oh, about now." He shrugged. "Guess we're late."

"EEEEHH? !"

"Hope Mikado-sama is the patient type."

**Sorry for the delays, and I hope to get a new chapter out on the regular schedule. Review!**


	9. Strobe

**I am really sorry about the major delays here. I was recently diagnosed bipolar, and that's why I on and off these chapters. I seem to be getting my groove back now. ^_^ Thank you for your patience!**

**Eh, I forgot a little here, so it's going to be a little flashback-y for a mo. Tolerate me, please. For those who don't know, this story is tied up with the other ones, so I'm creating a little continuity here, but it will all work in time, I promise.**

Sakura stared out at the horizon blankly. A light wind gusted her pink locks around her face. She didn't bother to contain them. Her hands gripped the edge of the banister tightly as the first ray of sun came up. She inhaled.

Sunrise.

She could feel him coming, even at a distance. The Emperor and his son, in her house. The cook had been working since last night. She shivered. She didn't like it, this game that men played with the lives of women, as if they were just pawns that handily popped out offspring from time to time. At least it wasn't the case with Sasuke. But if his clan hadn't been assassinated, who knows?

Sakura turned her sea foam gaze to Sasuke, who was sleeping soundly in a way she hadn't in years. How little he knew of this secret world of women. Granted, he was taking a very active part in saving Naruto and his would-be lover, but did he really understand what was happening?

_Not long now,_ her subconscious told her. She shook herself from the memories of the sunrise, and entered this world of men.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Why is the Emperor here?" Naruto hissed, slipping off his shoes. The samurai outside had tried to cow him with fierce stares, and Naruto was prickled. He had squinted back at them in a childish fashion, so much so that they stopped their staring contest and had gone back to looking rigid and stiff in their armor.

"To talk to us," Kakashi said back in his usual blatant and uninformative way. A servant bowed politely to Kakashi's wave, directing them off to a room down the hall. Naruto gawped, awed at what Sasuke had done to the derelict house. The thing was a rotted piece of junk by the time Sasuke had gotten around to it. Now, cleaned and restored, it was a masterpiece of early Konoha architecture, a perfect replica of the mansion owned before the Uchiha lived in a district. Okay, so the house was right at the gate, and the rest of the Uchiha block was built behind it, but the whole plot used to be just a garden to the rich family's abode. For a guy brought up in a tiny apartment, this was nothing short of too much money spent in a weird way. Naruto mused he would have bought out the ramen shop for this kind of change, so he could have ramen at every hour of the day. _This must have been Sakura's doing…_

Kakashi rapped lightly on the shoji door. "Sire, I do believe that is the Hokage and his entourage." _Entourage?_ Naruto looked at his falsified appearance. _I don't get drugs for him in the middle of the night!_ Just as Naruto was about to let his words free, the door slid open to reveal a decidedly rigid scene. Naruto took in the sight; samurai and well dressed gentlemen sitting in rows around the tatami room, servants trembling at strict attention, Sasuke and Sakura sitting formally at the far end, and just beside the portal, a pair of human sized dolls. Naruto leaned in, curious. Sakura's vein throbbed at her temple.

"Ahem, Kanjo-sama, Mikado-sama, this is Hakate Kakashi, our Hokage, and his trainee, Uzumaki Naruto." The two dolls turned in unison to look at the intruders, and Naruto realized with a shock that they were the highest ranking men in the country, and maybe even the world. He froze, henge flickering.

Kakashi clapped a hand over Naruto's hair, reminding him to focus. "Forgive this idiot, my lord. That's what I get for taking pity on a little orphan boy." Kakashi smiled. The Emperor smiled back a little, but his son's eyes bored into him like a hot knife.

"As I say, never be charitable. It always gets you into terrible scrapes." Kakashi's visible eye smiled some more as the advisors chuckled at the Emperor's awful joke.

"Indeed, sire. May we be seated?" The Emperor gestured to the spot free on the nearest wall, diagonal from the pair. Kakashi grabbed Naruto's hair, dragging him with force to the spot indicated. Naruto sat as he was bade, but rubbed his scalp irritatedly. "I'm sure I was told, but my job as Hokage keeps me so busy…" The Emperor nodded in understanding, waving his fingers for Kakashi to continue. "But I don't remember an inspection being planned. What do we owe this great honor? Everything is well I hope?" Even though Kakashi basically just admitted he had been too lazy to even open the scroll sent to him, he had simultaneously expressed gratitude and concern for the Emperor. _He's as slimy as a newt!_ Naruto decided.

The old man waved his hand dismissively. "Everything is exactly as it should be, Hakate-sama. I am here to shake hands with the clans and to arrange my son's marriage." He indicated the stiff man to his left, who was glaring most intently at Naruto. Naruto stared right back, determined not to be intimidated by the high born's standing. "Mikado wished for more than just a princess." Mikado nodded sharply, not breaking the epic evil beam connecting him and Naruto.

"Ah, I see." Kakashi still smiled pleasantly. The silence was unbelievably awkward, the Emperor and Kakashi with mild faces, Mikado and Naruto glaring at each other, and the rest twitching uncomfortably.

"Neh, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto muttered out of the side of his mouth. "What's with this arrogant pr-" A hand clamped hard over the back of his neck. Naruto immediately froze in terror as Sakura leaned down with her face parallel to his. Her smile looked like a shark's.

"Excuse me while I take out the trash, Kanjo-sama." Naruto hung limply from her grasp, dragged like a wet blanket across the tatami and out. He was hauled to the modern looking living room, and was tossed carelessly towards the couch. Naruto was about to protest being called trash, when he got a good look at Sakura.

She was seething, pale except for two red splotches on her cheeks. A vein ticked rapidly, twins popping up all over her face. Naruto began to pray silently. She was clearly out for blood.

"M-Mou, S-S-Sakura-c-chan-"

"YOU!" He cowered as she stepped closer, arms raised out, ready to throw one. "YOU BAKA! Do you have any idea what you-" She growled, too incensed to finish. She clapped a hand over her eyes, sighing. "Please tell me that you at least remembered the wedding today." A green eye peered out between her fingers. Naruto turned white. "AAAARRRGG!" Sakura rumpled her hair furiously. She jabbed Naruto in between the eyes, baring her teeth like an animal. "You are SO lucky these are new floors! If they weren't, I would hesitate to draw and quarter you! I have enough to deal with right now, what with the Emperor showing up at the last minute and already agreeing to host for Ino's wedding, and then there's you!" Sakura brought her face close to Naruto's until he could see the little blood vessels on her eyes. "Go home, get your suit, and get back here in fifteen minutes. If you don't, I've got a couple of kunei with your name on them." Naruto nodded rapidly. "Now get!" Naruto got up as fast as he could to run, but he was still slow enough to get Sakura's well placed kick to his butt.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Dear God, am I glad I invited you to come over." Ino pointed critically at Hinata's face. Hinata touched her cheeks self consciously.

"What? What's wrong?" She blushed as every girl in the room stared at her.

"Disregarding the gigantic purple bags under your eyes," Ino prodded Hinata's chin. "There's that volcano forming on your face." Hinata squeaked, rushing to a mirror to check. Everyone crowded around to inspect her skin.

"It's a mosquito bite," someone said dismissively, but Hinata knew the truth: there was a junior Mount Fuji forming on her chin.

"No…" she moaned. Ino snapped her fingers sharply.

"Make up girl! We have an emergency!" The woman trotted over, a monstrous kit in hand. She cupped Hinata's jaw to analyze the pimple as the wedding party held their breath for the verdict. "Well? Can you do anything for it?"

After another tense moment, the woman nodded, causing a collective sigh of relief to rise from the crowd of girls. She broke open the case, removing a tube of cream from it. "Don't touch your face for the rest of the day, no matter how much you want to," she admonished seriously, daubing the sharp smelling ointment on Hinata's chin. Hinata felt an immediate cooling sensation.

Ino clapped her hands in joy. "You're a genius!"

"I know," the girl said smugly, setting up powders, brushes, pencils, along with a paraphernalia of equipment that Hinata had never seen before. "Hold still, my canvas." Hinata watched Ino trot back to her table happily, offering her hands to another woman whom Hinata guessed to be the manicurist. Ino squealed as the woman nodded, indicating that Ino's hands were finished. Girls crowded around Ino to similarly gush over the perfection of her nails.

Hinata entertained herself by looking sidelong into the mirror, watching the makeup artist gob on the pastes and powders, recontouring her face, blending away imperfections. The zit had shrunk to only a fraction of its previous size, and thanks to the artist's perfectionistic ministrations, had all but vanished behind a thick layer of base. Once her face was a blank slate of ivory, the woman pulled back. "Now, what style are you wearing? You're not part of the wedding party, are you?" Hinata shook her head, unwrapping her cotton bundle to reveal her outfit for the day. The make up artist grinned, clearly pleased with Hinata's taste. "I see no one needs to teach you how to match color tones." She broke out a fresh set of brushes and colored powders. "I love it when I don't have to lecture people about why gold is different from silver."

"I am NOT getting a mandicure!" A brash voice echoed through the walls. Hinata blushed, instantly recognizing the speaker. Sakura, already perfectly made up and in her maid of honor kimono, turned red in fury.

She stormed out, muttering furiously the whole way: "Mandicure? !"

O*O*O*O*O*

"I am NOT getting a mandicure!" Naruto tucked his hands under his arms in protest.

"Have you seen the state of your hands?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow, buttoning up his shirt. "No girl is going to get near you with those. I think I got an infection just looking at them."

Naruto stuck out his tongue. "What would you know about girls, Sasu-GAY?" Sasuke rolled his eyes as he threw a tie around his neck. Naruto pointed accusingly at the silk. "See! No straight man would wear a pink tie!"

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, but this gay guy gets a lot more pussy than you." Naruto flushed and sputtered like an old kettle. Sasuke tightened his tie, smirking. "Hey, now we're both wearing pink."

"TEME!"

Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing a fuming Sakura. Naruto instantly shrunk down into a smaller target. She stormed over, grabbed his hand, and held it close to Naruto's face without saying a word. It was only then that he realized they may have had a point. He had at least three hangnails, his thumb and forefinger were dry and cracked, and every crevice was lined with dirt and ink. Naruto grinned sheepishly, allowing Sakura to force him into a chair. The manicurist eyed him sternly as she plunged Naruto's fingers into warm water.

"Have you ever had a manicure?" she prodded gently.

Naruto blurted, "You're not going to put nail polish on me, are you?" Even Sakura giggled as the group of men busted out laughing. "What? What did I say?" Naruto sputtered, bewildered.

The manicurist chuckled, using a soft brush to loosen the dirt around his nails. "Not unless you want it." She laughed again at Naruto's horrified expression.

"Make it pink." Sasuke smirked.

"No! Nononononono-" Naruto began to pull his hands away, but Sakura clamped his wrists down, growling.

"No nail polish then." Naruto relaxed briefly. "You would have looked so good in pink though." Before Naruto could protest, Sakura's sharp fingernail stabbed the tip of his nose. Behind the finger, Sakura's face warned him against a single noise of defiance, or else.

After getting over the girlishness of the situation, Naruto peered with interest as his hands were transformed. While the sharp stick she used around his nails was painful, the rest was pretty pleasant. She carefully filled the sharp edges, rubbed a lemony balm into his cuticles, only to be rinsed away. Thus clean, she buffed the nails until they were soft, and massaged more balm into his scrubbed pink skin. As soon as she indicated she was done, Sakura seized his hand for inspection.

"You're a miracle worker." Sakura smiled, releasing the captive. Naruto sniffed his hands. He decided he smelled like food, and was well pleased with the results. "I have to get back." She gave Sasuke a peck on the lips, glared at Naruto, and left, muttering, "Seriously? Mandicure?"

**Going to try to get better at getting these things out on time. Ja!**


	10. Supernova

**Two words: car accident.**

**But I have an extra long chappie for you here to make up for it! Enjoy, and kudos to anybody who can spot the four intentional themes of this story. Thank you for everyone's patience!**

**(I fixed a syntax problem where Kiba and Yoko were insulting each other. I didn't use proper grammar, so certain programs on the site erased the whole line.)**

"Pull yourself together, dobe." Sasuke hauled Naruto to his feet, tossing a tie in his direction. Naruto turned the fabric over. His face was suddenly distressed. "Problems?" Naruto's expression twisted. "You forgot how to tie it, didn't you," Sasuke said flatly.

"No! I-but-can't-…it's pink."

"Girls like pink, dobe. Nut up and shut up. Let's go."

"It's time already?" Naruto looked around for a clock, tightening his tie. He glanced at the tie one last time. "Why are we wearing pink?"

"Ino's dress code," Shikamaru groused. "Boys wear pink ties, girls wear something green." His brow contracted. "And I wear this." He flicked the edge of his lapel, rolling his eyes. "So troublesome." Naruto had to suppress a snort of amusement. Shikamaru was wearing a traditional black kimono, and he didn't look too enthused about it.

"How did she convince you to wear that?"

"She hits hard." Naruto chocked back another chuckle at Shikamaru's expense. Sasuke flicked his arm.

"Come on." Grabbing his jacket, Naruto followed him through the house and out the back. "What's with you today?"

"Huh?" Sasuke glared, coming to a stop to face Naruto, who blinked blankly.

"You haven't acted so infantile in years." Instead of a half-baked comeback, Naruto suddenly became quiet and serious. His eyes wandered off to the side without actually looking at anything. "What happened?"

"Work," Naruto grunted.

"Bullshit, Naruto," Sasuke said icily. "No one talks to the Emperor like that, not even you, unless something has you out of your head."

Naruto finally met his eye. "There's a lot more to this job than I originally thought."

"That's it? Too much work for you?" Sasuke's voice was incredulous.

"No." A dark note crept into Naruto's words. "Sasuke, you wouldn't believe the secrets this village has, the skeletons in our closets." Naruto's jaw clenched. "A lot of things I wish I didn't know." His voice dropped. "I don't know how Kakashi sleeps at night."

Sasuke regarded him quietly for a moment, before giving him a light tap on his arm. "Let's get you to the wedding. A few drinks down and you'll be fine."

"You sure? I thought we wouldn't want to be late because of Sakura's mighty punch." Naruto cracked a smile.

"That too." Sasuke held out his fist. Naruto grinned, and tapped back.

The rest of the walk to the forest was dead quiet, allowing Naruto to really absorb the time out of the office. The orange and red leaves of the trees rustled in the cold breeze. The air was crisp and fresh, smelling slightly of wood smoke. Bright rays from the autumn sun filtered through the trees. Fallen leaves crunched beneath his feet. Naruto willed himself to think of nothing else but the beautiful fall day.

Soon enough, they were at the sakura grove. Though long past the season for blossoms, they were still pretty and elegant, covered in pale gold leaves. People were milling around, talking and sorting out their seats. Sakura, in a pink and green kimono, stood on the tips of her toes and motioned for them to come over.

"You look good." Sakura straightened his tie with a smile. "Where's Hinata?"

"I don't know." Naruto craned his neck to see over the crowd. "I haven't seen her all week."

"Awkward," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura shushed him. "She's been really busy at the hospital. Something about a patient." Naruto swallowed hard, praying that nobody saw how shifty he was. Sakura frowned absently. "I'm not used to her being this secretive. Speaking of which," she looked back up to prod Naruto's nose. "We need to get practicing again. I've been so busy with this wedding that I haven't had time to nag you." Naruto sighed, a sweat drop appearing on his forehead.

Sasuke's eyes locked on something behind Naruto. "Hot damn."

Sakura turned to the side to inspect the something too. "Good God."

"What?" Naruto peered around, and he saw it. His knees turned to jelly, his breath caught, his heart skipped a beat.

Hinata.

She was talking to Kiba and Yoko, the Sand siblings right behind. The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was loosely pulled up, with escaping strands framing her face. What looked like a cascade of silver leaves was pinned in the back. She wore a true green dress, slinky and satin glowing. The tiny sleeves and empire waist bodice were gathered, in contrast to the skirt, which seemed to hug every curve without being revealing. Silver ribbons on her waist tied in a bow in the front, their long tails fluttering with every movement. A heavy silk wrap draped over her arms to protect her bare skin from the cold. Simple silver jewelry glittered from her wrists, neck and ears. She even had silver paint lining her eyes to contrast the dark green shadow on her lids. Breathtaking.

Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of her. His heart seemed to somersault in his chest. Every time he saw her, it was like he fell in love all over again.

_Wait, WHAT? !_ Naruto recoiled, back pedaling his thoughts to review them. But when he looked at Hinata again, he came to the exact same conclusion he had before.

Love.

He loved her.

O*O*O*O*O*

Hinata stood, clapping her hands as hard as she could for the new couple as they kissed. Her smile was so wide, she feared her face might break, not that she would mind very much.

"I said kiss the bride, not swallow her face." The party laughed as the officiant, Kakashi, chastised the couple teasingly. Shikamaru was actually smiling when they pulled away. He had gone white as a sheet when the ceremony started, but now he had color. They looked so happy. The two jogged back down the aisle, waving.

"Come on, guys," Hinata addressed her group, gathering up her wrap. "Reception."

"Oooooh, I can't wait!" Yoko rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Ino is a party animal; this is going to be a rockin' shindig!"

"Hells yeah!" Yoko high-fived Kiba and Kankuro. Hinata giggled, leading the way to a huge pavilion. They milled about, searching for their table.

"Here's ours!" Kiba slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. "We're all together!"

"No, we're not," Gaara stated, eyes wandering around the place settings. "What about Hinata?"

Hinata looked around. "I'll find it. I'll see you guys later."

"Fuck that," Temari retorted. "There's room for six here. Move your ass." She used her foot to shove Kanduro in his chair over, snatching a place setting and a chair from the neighboring table.

"Temari-senpai, That's someone else's-"

"Who cares." Temari patted the seat. "Come sit with us, darling." Hinata blushed with embarrassment for Temari's actions, but her bred and born politeness compelled her to take the proffered seat. "Marvelous." Hinata smoothed her dress self-consciously, still not quite comfortable with the break in etiquette. To distract herself, she picked up the menu to scan the courses.

She jumped when a sudden wave of applause announced the new couple's entrance. It took her a minute to recover enough to get on her feet and join in the joyful cheering.

Ino and Shikamaru had changed out of their traditional garb in favor of a western style. Shikamaru wore a button-up and slacks, while Ino wore a short white dress. Someone put a love song on, and they began to dance. Hinata held her hands to her chest, entranced by the bliss that was filling the room. She looked at the faces of her tablemates, and was pleasantly surprised to see Gaara smiling softly. He caught her eye, and smiled a little wider.

The first chorus ended, signaling the party that they could join. Naturally, Sakura and Sasuke were the first out on the floor, followed by the parents. Hinata turned.

"Gaara-sama, would you like to dance?" He blinked, seeming quite surprised at the offer. After a thoughtful pause, he nodded, offering his hand. She took it like a lady, following him obediently to the dance floor. As they got into position, they left a respectful amount of space between them.

Gaara was no slouch; he had been trained. His steps were perfectly in time, his lead was firm without being forceful, and he never had to look down. Both of them could do it in their sleep.

"Hinata," he whispered, barely moving his lips. If he wasn't so close, she would have missed it entirely. She looked up sharply to meet Gaara's eye, which had lost any hint of a smile. "Later, I must speak with you."

Hinata frowned, confused. "About what?" she breathed back. He gave a tiny shake of his head.

"We can't talk about it here. After the reception, meet me at the Uchiha mansion." The song ended. He stepped back and kissed her hand politely. "Thank you."

Hinata stood in shock for a few moments. There was an unpleasant sensation curling deep in her abdomen. It could have been that Gaara was always deadly serious like that, but something in the back of her mind was screaming ominously.

"Thank you for coming!" Ino shouted from the head table. "Can everyone get a drink please!" Hinata shook it off, scuttling back to the table to fetch her recently filled flute. She turned to face the couple, who already had their drinks. Ino grinned, holding up her glass. Hinata squinted. It was filled with…orange juice?

"I'd like to make a toast, but not to us." Ino glanced at Shikamaru, who closed his eyes and sighed. "A toast to the reason for our shotgun wedding-"

"Oh lord," Shikamaru groaned.

"I am officially three months pregnant!" There was about a half seconds worth of dead silence before the pavilion exploded with noise. Ino's mother ran over to hug her daughter, exclaiming with tears in her eyes how happy she was. Her father downed his glass of champagne, along with his wife's, in a couple of quick swallows. In contrast, Shikamaru's mother slapped the back of his head and began to berate him on prior notice. His father merely looked bored, but when Mom ran out of steam and stormed off, he shook Shikamaru's hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Now I have to get her a gift for the wedding AND a baby shower," Temari groused without sounding serious. She grinned, a hint of tears in her voice. "That selfish bitch."

Hinata clapped hard, on the edge of crying herself. Her heart swelled with joy as Ino grabbed Shikamaru for a kiss. The way he closed his eyes and pulled her in tight belied the love between them. They may have gotten married because of the baby, but they truly wanted to be together.

Somewhere inside, Hinata was desperately jealous of them. She too wanted to marry the man she loved, be a wife, have children. To fill her life with family and love was her dream. In her mind's eye, she saw herself with her first child, holding the tiny pink baby in a blanket against her chest. She would carefully hand the bundle to its father, who would look adoringly between their child and her. He would tell her he loved her, and give her a kiss, leaning down so she could place a hand on his cheek to feel the whiskers she loved so much…. 

_Wait, WHAT? !_ Hinata blinked, face flushing pink. She realized with a shock that whenever she thought of the fantasy, those signature blue eyes were always there. She covered her mouth with her hands. _Oh dear!_ Hinata couldn't believe she had been so blind. She had always just made a blank there in that daydream, but now that she had thought about it, Naruto was her go-to standard for handsome, charming, all the nice qualities in a man. She looked once again at Ino and Shikamaru, and sure enough, a vision hit her.

She was standing hand in hand with him, just like the way Ino and Shikamaru were. His blue eyes shining bright, looking at her with affection. Snow fell in their hair, but they paid no mind. Hinata felt herself say, "Yes," and was mesmerized as Naruto's lips formed, "Absolutely." She vaguely heard a bored voice say "You're now Mr. and Mrs. Naruto Uzumaki. Kiss." With that, Naruto snatched her up, crushing Hinata to his chest as he kissed her. "Hinata…."

"HINATA!"

"AH!" Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin. Yoko shook her head, snorting.

"Damn girl, when you go off in your head, you really get lost." Hinata nodded, willing her poor traumatized heart to slow. "What were you thinking about?" Yoko leaned down to peer accusingly at Hinata. Hinata swallowed.

"Um, ah-"

"Something dirty?" A lecherous grin crawled up her face.

"No! Nothing like that!" Hinata protested vehemently.

Yoko's nostrils twitched as her eyes narrowed. "You don't smell like you're lying…" She waved her hand dismissively. "But I'll have it out of you soon enough."

"Something about dirty thoughts?" Kiba piped up eagerly.

"That was so five seconds ago. Catch up, Rain Man."

Kiba huffed. "Bitch."

Yoko smiled cheekily. "That's my name, don't wear it out."

Kiba began to mutter under his breath, "Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch…."

Yoko retaliated with, "Fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed…."

For their trouble, Temari gave them simultaneous whaps to the backs of their heads. "Ai!"

"Ouch!"

"Shut up." Temari winked at Hinata, who blushed again and looked at the floor.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Over here, Naruto-kun." Sakura bade him to come over and sit. "Ino assigned us to sit here."

"Assigned? She tells us where she wants us to sit?" Naruto shuffled into his chair before picked up the cardstock with his name on it. His eyebrows couldn't decide whether to hang with his hairline or crouch over his eyes.

"It's traditional," Sakura stated complacently, rearranging her place setting so it was perfectly straight.

"Seems weird to me."

Sakura finished messing with the silverware and looked up at Naruto, a dangerous glint in her eye. "This is supposed to be Ino's special day, and I don't want to ruin my new kimono with blood, so I'm going to pretend you aren't behaving like an uncultured ass."

Naruto smiled as pleasantly as he could, secretly thinking,_ God, uptight much?_

Kakashi slid smoothly into his seat. "Hey." His visible eye was smiling.

"There you are, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura smiled somewhat tensely. "That was a very beautiful ceremony. I tried to tell you so earlier, but you disappeared."

"He was only gone for ten- ow!" Naruto glared resentfully at Sasuke, who had given him a sharp kick under the table. Sasuke shook his head, flicking his eyes at a visibly restrained, annoyed Sakura. Naruto folded his lips inward to control the urge to add his ill-timed input.

The curve in Kakashi's eye increased, as if he were smiling wider. "I was saying hi to the dolphins." His former team dropped their heads and sighed in stereo.

"Why do you always have to talk in riddles?" Sakura's palm smacked her forehead. She seemed to think the better of the statement, holding up a finger. "That was rhetorical, Kakashi-sensei."

"I suspected," he said lightly. "Hey, menus!" Naruto lifted his head to lock on the menu just above the plate. He snatched it up, eager for a distraction.

As he scanned the card though, his brow beetled again. "Five courses? Five whole courses? !"

Sasuke clapped sarcastically. "It's a miracle; Naruto knows what a course is. Kakashi, fetch us a plaque and a lamb to sacrifice." Sakura snorted, trying to hide her amusement by giving her husband a light smack on the arm.

"Pffft! That's not funny, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke smiled a little at his wife's barely contained chortles. Naruto allowed himself a tiny pout before continuing.

"It just seems like too much work." Sakura opened her mouth to begin a tangent on the etiquette of special occasions. To her tablemates' relief, a loud roar filled the pavilion as a joyful Ino and Shikamaru took the floor for their first dance. Naruto stood and cheered with the rest of them, remaining on his feet to see the first dance.

Naruto couldn't help but grin. There was so much happy energy in the room; it was infectious. Sasuke offered his hand to Sakura, who glowed as she was led to the floor. Other couples joined in. Naruto was just enjoying the swirling people and the soft lights, when he spotted Hinata dancing with Gaara.

His smile instantly died. She was dancing with another man, another jinchuriki no less! Gaara moved smoothly and surely, as if he had known the dance since birth. Naruto watched Gaara move close to say something breathily in her ear, and his blood began to boil. His knuckles blanched against the fierce spasm of his fist.

Naruto drew a heavy breath in, and resolutely placed himself back in his chair to face away from the dance floor. But what had started as a controlled seat ended more as a dejected flop. His spine refused to support him, so he ended up with his forehead hitting the table with a plonk, arms hanging limply.

"Lovesick, huh?" Naruto brought his head up enough to look directly at the speaker. His neck still didn't have enough inspiration to be useful, so Naruto rested his chin on the table. Kakashi leaned against his fist, looking annoyingly all-knowing.

"No one asked you," Naruto grumbled from the side of his mouth. Kakashi picked up the place card of the only empty seat at the table.

"Wonder where she's sitting?" Kakashi mused.

Naruto knew the answer, but he asked anyway: "Who?"

Kakashi indicated Hinata, flipping the paper over so Naruto could read it. Naruto huffed, sinking deeper into his pit of self-pity. "Ah. Temari's table. Three strong personalities there. They cowed her into it." Naruto's ears twitched. He perked up enough to look straight at his mentor.

"You think?"

Kakashi didn't have a chance to answer. "Thank you for coming!" Ino's piercing shout cut through the music, which was quickly quieted. "Can everyone get a drink, please!" A waiter swooshed by, tipping drinks into glasses. He was even thoughtful enough to fill Sakura's flute with orange juice instead of champagne.

Sakura and Sasuke zipped in. "Here we go," Sakura said under her breath. Naruto almost asked, but then he saw Ino's glass, filled halfway with orange juice.

_No way._

Ino grinned, fingers playing around the stem of her flute. "I'd like to make a toast, but not to us." Ignoring the titters of the crowd, Ino glanced at her new husband, who made a resigned sigh. "A toast to the reason for our shotgun wedding-"

Shikamaru slapped his forehead, muttering, "Oh lord."

"I am officially three months pregnant!" It seemed the whole room took a breath, before breaking out with cheers. Naruto's mouth dropped. Sakura was laughing and crying at the same time. Even Sasuke was smiling, giving his wife a tight, one-armed hug. The parents of the happy couple had some varied reactions to the news, but the majority of the crowd was congratulating the announcement of a baby.

Naruto wasn't sure what to feel. Of course, the baby seemed to be good news, but at the same time, there was some negativity that was inexplicably attached to it.

With a pang of hurt, Naruto realized that he was jealous, and not just of the parents. Everyone around him seemed to be pairing off, beginning families. And here he was, with only two dates and a failure under his belt. But it wasn't just that; it was watching these children be born and grow under the wing of their loving parents. Naruto's chest tightened as he remembered that he knew nothing of his own parents, save for a single scrap of a burned birth certificate to indicate where he had come from. He didn't even know their names.

Naruto quickly swallowed the champagne, hoping to clear the lump in his throat, or at least, numb it out. It didn't work. He grit his teeth, turning away from the joyful mob.

He had unwittingly faced Kakashi once again. Somehow, Kakashi had drunk his champagne around his mask, and gotten another drink. He pushed it silently over to Naruto, who grabbed it and downed it fast.

When he resurfaced, Naruto looked at the glass and said, "I'm going to need about five more of these."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, you're not." Naruto stared at him for a minute before pivoting on his heel to get a refill. But he had to pass Kakashi to get to the bar, and as Naruto moved to slide past his mentor, Kakashi's hand shot up to press firmly against Naruto's chest. Naruto became still. "I know what you are thinking, Naruto." Naruto's lip twitched almost imperceptibly. "Believe me when I say crawling inside a bottle will only make it worse."

"And you would know?"

Kakashi nodded. "I would know." Naruto's fingers seemed to convulse around the glass. "It gets pretty lonely in there. Hard to see what really matters through all that glass."

All of a sudden, Naruto felt the urge to face the crowd once more. He whipped around, and what did he first see but Hinata. The way she covered her mouth delicately as she laughed, the light playing off the silver accents on her body, her lavender eyes sparkling with life. "What makes you so sure?"

"I'm always sure." Naruto looked back at his sensei, but he had disappeared.

"Fucking Kakashi," he muttered.

"I heard that!" A crop of silver hair spoke from across the room.

Naruto held up the empty glass. What Kakashi said like he was some sort of guru might have been complete bullshit, but he had gotten through to Naruto. It was a very tempting reflex after all he had been through, to drink himself into a stupor until he couldn't tell what he was truly feeling. But Kakashi had reminded him that the way to not feel isolated and alone was to surround yourself with friends and loved ones.

He blinked, and saw that dinner was about to be served. Smiling, Naruto gave the glass to a waiter, and beckoned his tablemates to join him.

O*O*O*O*O*

Naruto wished later that he wasn't so distracted during dinner. He was sure it was delicious, but he spent most of the time, uncharacteristically, thinking. Sakura slapped his hand over the soup; something about dipping the spoon in the wrong way. Some steak thing was the main course, but if there was something special about it, it was forgotten. Salad; though it was bitter, and Naruto barely touched it. There was also a platter which was meant to be shared between the whole table. It was piled high with some delicious fruit and some stinky cheese. Naruto couldn't fathom why anyone would want to eat cheese that smelled like week old sweaty socks, though he was careful to keep that comment to himself. He did, however, distinctly remember the triple chocolate cheesecake. Even though he was stuffed, Naruto practically inhaled the plate.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why they had chocolate cheesecake for their wedding cake, I will never know."

"Because we're not old and boring yet, like you, billboard brow." Ino trotted over from the head table to prod Sakura's still prominent forehead.

"Seems fitting a pig would know nothing of culture," Sakura retorted, pushing the tip of Ino's nose up. There was a glaring silence for a few seconds before the two broke out in laughter and hugged. "Congratulations, Ino!"

"Not like you didn't already know," Ino said, shaking her finger. She addressed the table, "This girl figured it out before I did."

"Oh please, it was so obvious." Sakura giggled. "She'd go from crying, to throwing up, to leaping around happily. Repeat until psychotic."

"What about you, chickie?" Ino tsked. "A couple of weeks after Sasuke here came back, she started eating raw tuna with ice cream. Tell me that's not a dead giveaway." Ino wrinkled her nose, tweaking Sasuke's ear teasingly. "What a stud. Shika and me have been at it for almost two years, and it took you two less than a week!" Sasuke allowed himself a smug smirk, while his wife's ears turned red. A new song came on, timed with dimmed lights as the pavilion was closed off to protect the party from the evening chill. Ino squealed, "Oooooh! I love this song! Who put-" She looked up to the DJ booth, where Shikamaru tossed her a wave. She shrieked again. "My man!"

Sasuke stood, holding his hand to the giddy bride. "Shall we?" Ino giggled, seizing the pale hand to haul Sasuke to the dance floor. Soon, they were twirling and twisting so much that Naruto's eyes crossed.

"Can you dance, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura grabbed Kakashi's wrist to gently coax him up.

"Fairly," he said mildly, taking her arm to lead the way. As he passed Naruto, the Hokage whispered, "Man up," before a puff of smoke obscured his figure.

"GOD DAMN YOU, KAKASHI!" Sakura twitched in rage, glaring at a log where Kakashi once stood. "You could have just said no!" Naruto plucked a note attached to the wood and sweat dropped. Sakura read it over his shoulder and turned an amazing color of red.

The note said, "The dolphins, they call to me. P.S. If I had just said no, what fun would that be?"

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill him one of these days." Sakura pounded her fist into the other hand violently.

_Man up._ Naruto thought back to his sensei's words. _Man up. What does that mean? Man up, man up, man up…_ His gaze wandered around the room blankly, until it landed on Kankuro, who was fumbling his way to asking a pretty kunoichi to dance.

Click.

_Man up!_

O*O*O*O*O*

"Oh my GOD, Hinata!" Kiba scrubbed his hair irritatedly. "The only time you've danced this whole evening is with Gaara! Do we have to get you drunk again? !" Hinata didn't say anything, or even make eye contact. She kept her hands folded over her chest, and sighed.

"Forget it; she's off in her head again."

"Huh?" Hinata blinked. Kiba face palmed.

"Earth to Hinata!" Yoko cupped her hands around her mouth sarcastically. "There is a large shindig occurring in your vicinity! Do you read? !" Hinata still blinked in a bewildered way.

Yoko had been right: Hinata was indeed traipsing off in dreamland. Since her sudden realization that Naruto was more than a mere infatuation, she had been running in circles inside her mind. Though it was good to know, what was she to do about it? So she had been thinking the same exact circuit for the past hour. Frustrated, she let out a weary sigh.

Instantly and in unison, Temari and Yoko turned in their seats to face Hinata, slamming their hands onto the table to exclaim, "OH MY GOD." Kiba jumped at the loud bang and sunk his fingers into the tablecloth. Gaara blinked slowly, carefully observing his sister's and assistant's aghast faces. Hinata blushed, embarrassed by the sudden influx of attention. She shushed them hurriedly.

Yoko's finger was suddenly between Hinata's eyes. "You're in love!" Hinata flushed fiercely.

"I thought we already knew this?" Gaara prodded. Temari waved her hand around in disagreement.

"No, we knew Hinata had a thing for Naruto; not that she was in love with him!"

"A thing?" Gaara was mystified.

"It means she thought he was cute," Yoko said offhand.

Somehow this jarred Hinata from her mortification. Her fist hit the table, not as hard as her tablemates', but harder than anyone had ever seen her do. "No!" Hinata insisted, seemingly oblivious to the shocked stares of her friends. "I was never interested in him just because I found him attractive! It was his spirit that drew me to him. Naruto was never good at school the way the popular boys were, and he made up for it by his optimism and determination. He never thought he was superior to anyone; he would make friends with anyone who would accept him." Hinata's eyes sparkled with passion. "He is all I never had the courage to be, and he makes me feel that I can!"

Jaws dropped around the table. Instead of apologizing for her outburst, Hinata began to feel a fierce pride in her declaration, a fire filling her with boldness. Her spine straightened to come to her full height, unabashed and unafraid.

"Good God, girl," Temari breathed. "That. Was. Epic." Hinata felt her mouth lift in a small smile. It felt so good to be able to say it. She was riding so high, she didn't notice when Yoko's eyes bugged out a little farther, and the dull clack as Gaara suddenly closed his mouth.

A hand appeared before Hinata. The nails were so perfect and the skin so pale, Hinata was expecting Sasuke. Her eyes widened as she recognized the tanned, whisker-marked face. Naruto smiled.

"Dance?" Automatically, her fingers grasped the proffered hand to rise from her chair. Hinata willed herself not to shake with anticipation. Little did she know that Naruto was similarly disciplining himself. As they faced each other, Hinata barely suppressed a gasp when Naruto leaned in to whisper, "I have no clue what I am doing."

The tension of the past week broke as Hinata giggled. "That's okay. I'll lead." Hinata guided his hands to the proper place, taught him the counts, and showed him the steps. Naruto almost stepped on her toes a few times, but she knew how to get out of the way while keeping the count. Her little chuckles at his amateurish mistakes made him laugh, at first self-consciously, then in genuine humor.

"This is impossible!" Naruto chuckled as he stepped back when he should have been going left.

"No, you're doing just fine." She laughed as she dodged to avoid the misstep. "Don't look down."

"Then what am I supposed to look at?" Their eyes connected.

The world went fuzzy and grey as Naruto's form seemed to brighten. Hinata forgot about dancing. Naruto gently brushed a stray lock from her temple behind her ear. The light touch sent a spark over her skin. Slowly, without her awarness, her toes pointed to be closer. Naruto's eyes were half-lidded, lips parted. With deliberate patience, he leaned down. Hinata's pulse roared in her ears. Everything else was drowned out in the anticipation of the moment. She forced herself to take shallow breaths, determined to experience a kiss with Naruto, to take in every last second. Naruto hovered just an inch above her. Then, to both their surprise, Hinata cupped the back of his neck to lift herself into the kiss.

She inhaled sharply, her body trembling with a joy and a passion she had never imagined. It was all Hinata had ever wished for. His lips were warm and soft, fitting hers perfectly. She moved her hands up his neck so she could brush her thumbs over the whisker marks on his cheeks. She felt his arms come up from her waist to cup her back, cradling her against him. As if on instinct, both parted their lips to allow the other to deepen the kiss. Hinata found herself smiling against Naruto's lips as happy bubbles formed in her chest, popping delightfully under her skin. As Hinata pulled him a little closer, Naruto seemed to get the hint. He bent a little further down to reposition his arms, before lifting her completely off the ground.

Hinata grinned, a joyful squeak escaping around their joined lips. She pulled back a little to look at him with hazy eyes. Naruto gazed back at her with the same love-drunk expression.

Presently, they became aware that the pavilion had gone silent. They froze in their intimate embrace, Naruto holding Hinata in the air by the waist, Hinata still cupping his cheeks. The whole room was staring.

Finally, Kiba jumped up on his chair to scream, "HELL YEAH!" With that, the party proceeded to make an epic racket.

"Finally!"

"Player in the house!"

"That was HOT!"

Hinata went red, then pale, as she realized she couldn't breathe with everybody staring at her. Naruto's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Whoa, deep breaths, Hinata." he hurriedly stepped over to the nearest table, placing her directly in a chair. After making sure she wasn't going to keel over out of the seat, he snagged a waiter for some water. "Drink." Naruto carefully put the rim of the glass to her mouth, cupping her hands around it.

Hinata nursed on the water gratefully, holding the glass like a child: with both hands. She watched Naruto sit in another chair facing her, chasing off concerned and/or sniggering people.

"She's fine, she just needs to relax for a minute." Naruto frowned as a few people attempted to segue Hinata into talking about the kiss. "What part of 'she needs to relax' aren't you getting?" Naruto and Hinata's gazes suddenly met, and they instantly looked away, blushing; Naruto because he felt guilty that he had made her feel faint, Hinata because she was mortified to have another episode in his presence.

Naruto opened his mouth and took a breath to speak, but turned pink and let the air escape with a wheeze. Hinata was feeling much improved, and his behavior piqued her curiosity. She cleared her throat delicately. Naruto looked at her side-long.

"Um, thank you." Naruto didn't say anything, but he blinked to let her know he heard her. "How did you know about the water?" Naruto's eyes shifted away again as he mumbled indistinctly. Hinata raised her eyebrows, attempting to decipher the babble.

Naruto gave a huff through his lips. "From a movie," he admitted.

Hinata formed a silent "oh" with her mouth. Her fingers drummed the glass for a minute while she formulated her words. She let out a short sigh deciding there was no better way to put it. "What…what were you going…to say?" Hinata had to take breaks in the sentence to allow her tension to relax. She wasn't even sure if the anticipation was good or bad.

The shade of blush on Naruto's face grew deeper, turning a very interesting shade of carmine. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Covering his eyes, he sputtered for several seconds. Upon quieting, he inhaled deeply and said, "I was going to ask if I was bad at it."

Hinata blinked, before smiling shyly, and turning rosy with pleasure. Naruto peeked out from behind his fingers to gauge her reaction. When he saw her smiling directly at him, it gave him the courage to sit up and come out of hiding.

Hinata pushed the same stray lock that Naruto had behind her ear. "I liked it," she demurred. The same feeling Hinata had when they kissed filled her once again. She squirmed and wriggled as a warmth, all at once familiar and strange, washed over her. As she remembered the kiss, her breath caught. She wanted to know more, but her social anxiety silenced her.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as his eyes swiveled shiftily. "Well, um, I need some air, you know?" He looked pointedly at her. "Need to be away from people for a bit." Standing, he gave her another significant glace before slipping out between the curtains of the pavilion.

Hinata sat, uncomprehending. A gasp elicited from her as she finally understood. Now came the dilemma: to follow, or not to follow?

O*O*O*O*O*

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Naruto chastised himself, pounding his own head to hammer in the message. "What were you thinking, kissing her in public like that? ! You really are a d-"

"Naruto-kun." Naruto halted his self-inflicted punishment. Almost no daring to hope he recognized that sweet tone, he turned.

There she was, hunched from the cold, looking at him with pure innocence. Naruto mentally smacked himself for not thinking ahead, rushing over to throw his suit jacket over her shoulders. "Sorry. It's freezing out here." Hinata watched him silently while he fussed with the blazer. The intense fidgeting of the lapels was just to hide the fact that Naruto's plan only went up to his significant glances, and he had not thought of what to say or do next. Hinata's expectant stare was beginning to unnerve him. Despite the cold, his palms became sweaty with nervousness.

"Um…." Naruto scrambled for words. "Sorry about….you know. I got caught up in-" Hinata's finger suddenly landed on his lips.

"Shhh…." she breathed. "Kiss me." Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto obliged.

O*O*O*O*O*

Temari watched Hinata scuttle after Naruto's lead, neither smiling nor frowning. She sighed a little through her nose, picking up her glass for a swig of champagne. "Wonder if she knows."

Gaara shook his head. "Nobody is supposed to know. I only discovered it through my sand." He caressed the top of his gourd, which was sitting on the floor next to him. "Besides, wouldn't she have been distressed if she had been told?"

"Hm," Temari agreed, taking another sip. "Wonder if he knows. After all, that is Konoha's business."

"Doubt it. You'd think he'd be a little more discreet."

"Yeah." The two siblings stared at the curtain Konoha's cutest couple had disappeared behind. "You wouldn't want to get caught making out with the future Empress."

**There you have it. The next chapter is halfway written, so I hope to have it out by next week when it gets typed up. Reviews are always appreciated!**


End file.
